Dangerous Liaisons: A Collection of One-Shots
by Black Stormraven
Summary: A (hopefully ongoing) series of one-shots, drabbles, ficlets, AUs, prompts, and snippets of my favorite couple: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Asajj Ventress. Other characters will make appearances, but the focus is on Obi-Wan and Asajj and the varying aspects of their peculiar relationship.
1. Massage

**Just a quick note: not all of these ficlets will tie into my other fics, nor will they all be "adult fare" (but this _is_ me and _this_ ship we're talking about, soooo...). These are just a collection of ideas and images I've had in my head for a while and wanted to get out. I hope you enjoy!**

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"I will never understand these people. Why common sense has taken a leave of absence in the Senate, I will never know."

Obi-Wan let her rant. He simply watched her as she paced around the room gesturing wildly at the datapad in her hand. Perhaps he was secretly a sadist (like she had claimed once or twice before) because of the joy he took in watching her get fired up. He loved her innate passion, but had no desire to be on the receiving end of her wrath. He would much rather that honor go to the Senate at large, or the datapad she now threw to the floor.

"I don't understand why politicians have to complicate even the most basic matter," she huffed as she sat down beside him. "And then they try to simplify the most complex ones." She took no notice when he bent down, gathered her legs in his arms, and swung them up to lay over his lap. She simply ran a hand over her face, frustrated at the universe in general. "If they allow newly-joined planets to have autonomy over themselves instead of imposing a slew of new laws, then just maybe they wouldn't begin regretting their choice and move for secession in ten nanoseconds and what are you doing?"

Obi-Wan took his time drawing the zip down on the side of her right boot and pulling the shoe from her foot. "Nevermind. Keep talking. Venting is good." He did the same to the left and let them both drop to the floor with a muffled _thud._

Asajj looked at him warily but didn't move. "What are you up to, Kenobi?"

He turned big, too-innocent eyes to her. "Nothing at all, my dear."

"Liar." She drew in a sharp breath when he pushed the hem of her skirt up to her knees. Cool air hit her bare shins while the heat from his thighs warmed her calves. "You're getting lazy if this is your idea of foreplay, Obi-Wan."

Any other jab was soon drowned out by a deep moan of pleasure when his fingers found the pressure points in her right foot. His thumbs pressed into the arch and moved in small, slow circles. "What was that about 'lazy foreplay', my sweet?"

She tried to fix him with a withering glare but could only manage a less-than-frightening stare. What he was doing was surely some kind of magic to feel so good. "Shut up."

He smirked in response. Once he was satisfied her foot had gotten enough attention, he began on her calf, using more of his palm on the less sensitive muscle. Out of some kind of masochistic curiosity, he wondered how long he could keep his eyes on his task rather than drift up to look at her face. He knew he would falter if he looked up and saw an expression of ecstasy to match the sounds she was making; it was difficult enough to not respond to those alone.

Asajj's head fell back when he found a particularly tender spot just under her knee. Her shoulders quickly followed until she was lying back on the couch, her head hanging just over the armrest. Now she was completely at his mercy, not that she minded. In fact, part of her wished he would extend the courtesy he was bestowing on her leg to the rest of her body.

Her sighs and moans cut off with a sudden gasp. He had lifted her leg and touched his lips, ever so gently, to her ankle. She hadn't expected that. Nor did she expect the kiss a little further up her shin. She raised her head just enough to watch his head continue up her leg, each kiss different from the last; some were feather-light, others were firm, and still others featured appearances by his teeth or the tip of his tongue. She had just started to think the massage was really a clever ploy to have his way with her (he really didn't need to go to the trouble for that, though) when he gingerly set the leg down.

Obi-Wan smiled to himself when a frustrated growl escaped her lips as he moved to her left foot. When he stroked the bottom of her foot this time her back arched slightly off the couch and her fingers clutched at the cushions. He couldn't bear it anymore. A deep sigh from her chest tore his gaze from his kneading fingers to her face.

Pale, half-hooded eyes stared back at him. Her lips were parted. Her chest moved up and down with deep, quick breaths. He didn't realize his hands had gone still until she rested the half-massaged leg on his shoulder. "Don't stop," she whispered.

If he had been a few years younger, Obi-Wan would have gulped, hard, and trembled in the face of such desire. Instead, he merely swallowed the small lump in his throat and resumed his work...without putting her shapely limb back to his lap. The grin on her face told him she liked the change in position.

Which put a whole new set of ideas into his head...

_There is no emotion__ (whomever wrote that part has obviously never been in the same room with Asajj Ventress)__, there is peace __(and no greater peace can be found than in her arms when those passions we're not meant to have are spent).__ There is no ignorance, there is knowledge (and what knowledge of the physical arts she's taught me!). There is no passion..._

Well, there went the theory that a quick mental recitation of the Code would calm his quickening heartbeat or even out his short breath. He was suddenly very glad that they were now on the same side of the battlelines...for the most part.

Asajj let herself fall under the spell of his talented hands. It was so rare she was able to feel this good, especially when she and her secret lover were so often apart. And she especially enjoyed how he no longer approached such caresses with embarrassment or guilt. Once he had gotten over that block he had proved to be a most exemplary student, eager for new lessons under her masterful fingers.

She should have known he would use those lessons against her one day.

Asajj waited until he reached her knee before snaking her other leg around his back. A quick tug had her sliding towards him so that she was tightly locked into his side. He stilled as the move caught him by surprise, along with the tangle of her long fingers in his hair. "I said, don't stop," she breathed.

"Oh, you are a wicked one," he groaned throatily.

"Don't dent you love it, Kenobi." With a firm hold on his hair she guided his head further up her leg. She took immense pleasure in the way his breathing quickened the closer he got to her inner thigh. Her bottom lip threatened to split open from how hard she was biting it trying to silence her cries.

The only warning she had that something was wrong was the gentle touch of his hands on her waist...before he pulled her down the couch and hovered over her. He kept her hips flush against his, her left leg still on his shoulder and her fingers tight against his scalp. "I don't deny anything," came his labored whisper. "I am only too happy to serve."

Satisfied that he had effectively rendered her speechless by the unexpected move, Obi-Wan parted her dark lips with the tip of his tongue and silently invited hers to play. Her shock lasted only a moment more before she responded to his scintillating kiss. "Are you ready for another lesson, Obi-Wan?"

He shivered at her tone, at the fire in her eyes. All he could do was nod. She smiled.

Half a second later and Obi-Wan was on his back looking up at the ceiling. He let out a frustrated groan when he realized what had happened: Asajj had twisted them onto the floor when he had been lost in his haze of desire. She now sat atop him, her knees at his sides, grinning like a cat who had caught herself a hapless sparrow. "Lesson number twenty-four, my dear: even when you have the upper hand, never let your guard down." She shifted against him to draw a moan from his lips. A slight lifting of his hips and the tightening of his hands on her narrow waist accompanied the movement. Her smile widened. She made sure to flex every muscle, take note of each point of contact as she leaned forward. Her hands went to either side of his face, relishing his expression of anticipation and complete submission. "And lesson twenty-five," she breathed against his mouth. "When you think you have the upper hand over me, _you don't_." She licked his lips to punctuate those last two words.

Obi-Wan's chest constricted. His skin tingled and became almost too sensitive to bear. His body ached to move. Her weight on top of him was both a comfort and a tease. How did any man before him survive a night in her arms without bursting into flames? "Lessons learned," he choked out.

Asajj slowly raised herself back into a sitting position, her hands trailing down his chest and belly. But they didn't stop once she was upright again: they continued up her thighs, over her prominent hips, and covered his hands still on her waist. "I'm not convinced, darling." With agonizing slowness, she guided his hands under her close-fitting shirt and up to her breasts. "Show me that you've actual been paying attention."

Although he almost always bested her in combat, Obi-Wan knew he would never be her better in the bedroom. But with the sounds of her sighs and cries of approval ringing in his ears and the clench of her hands and legs around him as he demonstrated mastery of some of her many lessons, he didn't mind in the slightest.


	2. Cold

Two minutes and Asajj already hated the place. Orto Plutonia was little more than a desolate hunk of ice and rock to her. Who- or whatever lived there was either incredibly hardy or incredibly insane. "I thought this planet was already dealt with by Senator Chuchi," she ground out against the cold.

"That was when the Talz were first discovered to be living here." Obi-Wan raised the hood of his coat and secured the fastening around his neck. "Now the Talz are asking for assistance in getting rid of a troublesome contingent of snowhounds."

"Are you serious?" If her irritation wasn't already nearing its peak it was now. "We're called away from a warzone to deal with natural predators?"

"Oh, there's nothing natural at all about these hounds, my dear. Senator Chuchi says that they're genetically grown to be bigger, faster, stronger, and infinitely more vicious than any indigenous predator."

Asajj stopped in her tracks. "Wonderful." She quickly started again when she nearly lost sight of him in the swirling snow; she had no desire to get lost. She pulled her coat tightly around her to try to block out the biting wind. "So we were sent to deal with these instead of, oh, I don't know, anyone else because...?"

"Because Senator Chuchi asked for us by name."

"No, she asked for you and Skywalker. So why I'm here is beyond me."

"And here I thought you were beginning to enjoy my company, my sweet." The urge to hit him upside the head came quicker than thought at those words. But a more hidden part of her couldn't deny it was true. "Anakin was called away by the Chancellor at the last minute. And I need someone to watch my back. Getting eaten by a Separatist-engineered snowhound isn't exactly how I'd like to die."

Asajj couldn't argue with that. Being eaten by anything wasn't on her list of preferable deaths either. They walked in silence for a while, each listening for any sounds out of the ordinary as they made their way to the Talz camp. Patches of snow in their path glistened in the dim sunlight, some shinier than others. "Watch out for the ice," Obi-Wan cautioned.

She bit back a snort. She wasn't blind. But it was still nice when he unconsciously took her hand and guided her over or around the slick places. Not that she would ever admit it aloud...

The wind continued to howl around them as they proceeded. At one point it seemed to come from a fixed point behind them. Asajj stopped, jerking Obi-Wan back with her. "Asajj, what-"

"Hush," she hissed, her free hand raised to cover his mouth. Her head tilted to the side, listening. A new sound, one that raised the hairs on the backs of their necks, reached them through the wind and perpetual snowfall. Her head snapped around to stare at something behind them. Obi-Wan tried to follow her gaze, but could see nothing. "We should run," she said suddenly.

"I don't see anyth-"

A huge, dark mass bursting from the snow cut him off mid-sentence. They dove away from each other as it crashed down on where they had been standing not two seconds before. Asajj caught a glimpse of brindled fur, dark grey with spots and stripes of lighter grey and white, just before it landed on top of her. The weight of the hound forced the air from her lungs and pinned her arms against her chest when she instinctively crossed them to protect her torso. Saliva dripped onto her face from two rows of serrated teeth contained in a long muzzle. It snapped at her, missing her nose by mere centimeters before she managed to get her feet under its belly. Calling the Force into her legs she kicked it from her just long enough to find her lightsabers at her belt. "Could use a little help, Kenobi!" she shouted.

"I've got problems of my own!" he replied. He was keeping a second hound at bay with the Force, his lightsaber nowhere to be found.

Asajj would have rolled her eyes if she'd had the time. As it was, her hound rushed her again and again. Its attack was unusual: reaching first with its massive paws and equally enormous claws instead of leading with its teeth like most canine species. Asajj slashed at its legs as it lunged. Singed hair was all the damage she did. "What in space-"

Her shock distracted her long enough for the creature to land a hit. Its claws dug into the thick material of her coat and pulled. It had just barely missed her flesh, but now she was exposed to the freezing atmosphere with nothing but her thin clothing for protection. She ignored it, putting all of her focus on the monstrosity that seemed driven by only one thought: _kill._

The flash of her sabers threw it off-balance for a moment. She tried aiming directly for its eyes but it was too fast. Her blades seemed almost useless as they glanced off its hide. _This is getting ridiculous,_ she thought. She was beginning to tire, her arms starting to burn with the exertion. Then the beast made a mistake: it reared up on its hind legs to roar its own frustration with such a difficult meal. The moment her blades pierced the soft flesh of its belly it went silent. Her momentum drove it back until it fell to the snow with her lightsabers still buried to their hilts.

Asajj had to take a moment to fully comprehend what had happened, then looked to see how Kenobi was faring. He'd found his lightsaber, but his hound was staying low to the ground so he couldn't get in a killing blow. She ran to him, grabbing her weapons on her way, and lashed at the beast. "That doesn't work, darling," he called over the growls and snarls and wind.

"I'm aware of that! I'll go high, you go low."

"What?"

"Aim for its gut!" she yelled in exasperation.

Once he understood her plan the fight was over in seconds. The creature flopped to the frozen ground for the final time and stayed there. "Well, that was fun," he said with a smile, trying to catch his breath. Asajj wasn't so quick to let her guard down. She kept her blades activated and turned in quick circles to see if any other nasty surprises lay in wait in the blizzard. "Where's your coat?"

"I didn't like the color." She didn't mean for her voice to sound so clipped, but the attack had put her on edge. Her heightened senses gave her only the briefest of warnings before a third hound that had stayed hidden made its move. She screamed as its jaws closed around her arm and its teeth sank into her unprotected flesh. Dark blood streamed from the wound, which was made even worse when it released her with a scream of its own. Obi-Wan's blade had cleaved its belly in two to let its intestines steam in the frigid air.

"Asajj!" With the threat eliminated, he turned to his companion with wide eyes. "Are you alright?"

She clutched at the jagged remains of her forearm. It hurt to even hold on to her lightsaber. "Never better," she said through clenched teeth. She knew the cold would help stop the bleeding soon, but that did her little good against the pain. It felt like she'd been hit by superaccelerated shrapnel. The snowhound's serrated teeth were no joke.

She bit back another scream when Obi-Wan took her arm, as gently as he could, and inspected the damage. "I don't have any medical supplies with me," he said regretfully. "They're all back on the ship."

Asajj took a deep breath to steady herself and try to make her eyes stop tainting everything with black spots. "Hold these." She handed her lightsabers to Obi-Wan, who took them with a confused look, then tore off a strip of cloth from her shirt. The move caused a fresh wave of pain to shoot through the entire right side of her body as well as exposed even more skin to the cold.

"Asajj-"

"Take this," she interrupted. They didn't have time for him to fret over trivial things like that. "And wrap it around my arm."

He did as she said, his handsome face contorted with worry and guilt all the while. "I should have been paying attention," she heard him mumble. Apparently he hadn't meant for her to hear it, so she stayed quiet (it was also all she could to not cry out when the cloth touched her raw flesh). "We don't know what else that creature's bite might have contained," he said louder a moment later. "An infection could set in if this isn't properly treated quickly...or something worse."

Asajj gave him a look. He was always concerned whenever his comrades were injured, but lately he had seemed to take special interest in her well-being. When she'd shown up to a briefing three weeks earlier with a new plasma burn on her shoulder, he'd kept sneaking glances at her with the same look on his face that he wore now. She'd confronted him about it afterward, to which he'd simply said, "That looks like it hurts." She had been so taken aback by the simplicity of his words, along with the slight coloring of his face and neck, that she hadn't been able to form a reply. The usual concern she had gotten from Dooku over a new injury was indifference, patronization, or punishment for allowing herself to be harmed in the first place. The shift from Dark Acolyte to Jedi ally had been jarring in more ways than one, especially when Kenobi was involved.

Obi-Wan carefully tied off the makeshift bandage but didn't release her arm. His gloved fingers lightly held hers as he observed his work, making sure he'd covered the worst of the wound. She quickly took her hand back. She wasn't used to such caring scrutiny, especially from someone who had once been her most bitter enemy. It made her...uncomfortable. "Don't worry about it. If I become rabid, just throw me out in the snow. The cold will kill me faster than any disease."

She noted his stricken expression. "Don't say that, Asajj." The words were so soft she almost didn't hear them. But she did, along with his horrified tone. "Oh, do forgive me." He quickly pulled off his coat and wrapped it around her trembling shoulders, mindful of her injured arm. "And before you protest, my dear, I'd like to point out that I've got considerably more coverage than you. So don't even think of trying to return my coat."

She wanted to return his smile, but found herself too surprised by the gesture. She really shouldn't have been; Kenobi had a heart much too big for his own good. She was sure it was going to get him killed one day. "Let's just find this camp and get this over with so we can get back to warmer climates."

Asajj focused on putting one foot in front of the other to try to put the pain in her arm aside. The only outward sign she showed of the agony she actually felt was how she cradled the limb against her stomach. She'd be damned twice over before expressing her weakness in front of Obi-Wan. She felt his eyes on her, the hand he held near her back in case she stumbled. Did he think a bite to the arm would impede her ability to walk? She would have groaned in irritation if she wasn't positive he would interpret it as something else.

The Talz camp suddenly came into view as the snowfall lessened. The wind began to die down as well. But the cold seemed only to deepen. "The storm is letting up," she observed. "So why is it getting colder?" And why was her vision going out-of-kilter again?

The last thing she remembered seeing was Obi-Wan's startled face against the grey sky. He was saying something, but she couldn't hear. Strange...

_Shadow. Darkness. Grief. Pain. Rage. _

_Her parents' butchered bodies lay at her feet._

_Ky Narec closed his eyes for the last time._

_The Nightsisters massacred._

_Dooku proclaimed her to be past her use._

_No. No, these memories had no right. No right to resurface. She had locked them away when she had changed sides. They were too painful. They were too raw. _

_She pushed them away like a blaster threatening to explode in her hands. She wanted emptiness. That she could handle. That she could deal with. She could hide in nothingness for the rest of her life._

_But _he _wouldn't let her. His face appeared again and again. Every time he was looking at her with kindness. Or a smile. Or a teasing smirk. Or some expression she couldn't (wouldn't) identify. But always with kindness. _

_She tried to turn away. She didn't deserve it. Why did he insist on giving her something she had done nothing to earn?_

"_Come back to the Light, Asajj," he said gently. He'd said it to her before, but now his voice sounded very close. "Come back to me."_

_Funny. He'd never said _that_ before..._

The numbness was what she felt first when she opened her eyes. Her arm didn't hurt anymore, but it did pound in time with her pulse. She felt as if her body were suddenly made from heavy stone instead of flesh and bone. She wasn't cold anymore, though. That was a plus. A heavy fur had been laid across her.

A deep breath. Another. She went to raise her unharmed hand to her head to try to stop its pounding but found it immobile. A flash of panic shot through her as she thought it might have rendered useless as well. What she found when she looked down to it was even more shocking than if it had been missing entirely.

Obi-Wan had curled himself around her at some point while she was unconscious. He was now fast asleep beside her, one of his arms across her waist and his torso pinning her arm to her side. Without even thinking she shoved him away with the Force and tried to push herself in the opposite direction. She stopped and cried out when she put weight on her injured arm.

Obi-Wan was right there when she collapsed back to the floor. _Floor? _"Asajj, calm down," he said. "Easy." She flinched when his hand touched her shoulder; she still wasn't entirely awake and all she could feel was the pain and torment another's touch had always inflicted in her. She didn't see the look of hurt in his eyes when she shook his hand away. "Just breathe, Asajj. Breathe."

When she had calmed her rapid heartbeat and panicked mind, she took stock of her surroundings. Pale grey walls, a hard floor covered with various furs, no furniture to speak of, a small fire burning lazily in the center of the room. And Obi-Wan still crouched at her side. "Where are we?" Her voice sounded strange to her ears.

"The Talz camp. You passed out just as we came upon it."

"What?"

He looked away. Was that guilt in his eyes...again? "I knew I should have brought a medkit from the ship with us. That snowhound's bite was viral. If we hadn't made it to the camp when we did..."

Asajj couldn't stop looking at him. She'd never seen him look so..."lost" wasn't the word, but...

It hit her: frightened. Obi-Wan Kenobi was frightened. The revelation was so surreal she almost gasped.

She changed the subject instead. "How long was I out?"

"A few hours. The healers tended to your arm while you slept. They say you should be fully recovered in a couple of weeks." He gave her a wane smile, then went to the fire to stoke it back to life. "Amazing skills these people have in the healing arts."

That still didn't explain why he had been lying beside her the way he was. But the real question was if she was brave enough to ask. Thankfully, she was spared from making that decision when a large furry head with two sets of eyes poked through the doorway. A gurgle of sounds came from its throat, none of which Asajj could recognize as words. "Thank you," Obi-Wan said. "We'll be there presently."

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Understand everyone and everything without ever knowing the language." She had to admit she was a little jealous of that ability.

One side of his mouth turned up in a smug grin. "When one clears one's mind of all prejudices and preconceptions, communication becomes that much easier." He walked over to her and extended a hand. "Do you think you can stand?"

She fixed him with a hard stare, but took the offered hand anyway. "If I couldn't, one: I wouldn't tell you, and two: what would you do? Carry me?"

He put his other hand on her elbow to steady her when she stood, taking a moment to get her bearings. "Why not? I did when you passed out."

Asajj and Obi-Wan followed the Talz chieftain over the snowdrift, Asajj wrapped in a thick fur given to her by Thi-Sen himself. Down in the slight valley below rose a miniature city. One swarming with battle droids. All three stayed on their bellies to avoid detection, a pair of electrobinoculars passing between the offworlders. "See anything familiar, my dear?"

"You mean aside from the same idiotic droids that wouldn't know a blaster from a fish stick?" She heard him stifle a laugh and had to suppress one of her own; she had come to like his laugh. "No, nothing familiar."

Obi-Wan turned to the Talz chief. "Thi-Sen, do you know where these snowhounds come out from this facility?" Thi-Sen pointed to the western end of the cluster of buildings just as a pair of individual transports disappeared into a hidden hatch that sank into the snow and ice to allow them entry, then closed behind them. "Then that's where we're headed. We'll take it from here, my friend. There's no need to keep you from your people any longer." The Talz loosed a series of clicks and low whistles that sounded agitated even to Asajj's ears. "Alright. Have it your way." He turned his eyes to Asajj, a glint in them that she'd seen before dozens of fights. "Shall we?"

She smirked back. "Lead the way, my darling."

Despite her injury, Asajj held her own against the droids that tried to cut her down. She was suddenly very grateful for Master Unduli's suggestions for single-handed combat. She still didn't like fighting with only one lightsaber, but with one arm out of commission she didn't have much of a choice. Thi-Sen led the way once they entered the facility, sweeping droids and humanoids alike aside with wide sweeps of his mighty arms, while Obi-Wan searched security maps for where the snowhounds were being created.

Asajj was almost disappointed when they cleared the room of droids. She'd always enjoyed the thrill of combat, the excitement when her enemy fell while she stood standing. Even if her opponents this time around were dimwitted battle droids. "Any luck?"

"I think so," Obi-Wan said. He pointed to an area near the bottom left corner of the map. "This area here is just listed as 'The Pen'. Sounds like where we need to be, yes?"

"Better there than here." In truth, she just wanted this whole thing done and get off-planet.

The three of them picked their way through the debris of droid parts and descended into the lower level. Even if they didn't know the floorplan, all they needed to do to find the Pen was follow the sounds. Howls, growls, yips, snarls. An animalistic cacophony of noise grew louder and louder the further they went. The sight that met them at the door was even more ghastly than the sounds.

Over a dozen full-grown snowhounds stood in containment fields. Some were unattended, but others were being prodded, injected, or otherwise tortured by droids and so-called scientists. In a separate corner were several pups. "By the stars," Obi-Wan whispered in horror. Asajj couldn't blame him. Even she felt bad for the creatures, especially the young ones. They never asked for this. They didn't deserve to be tortured and mutilated and twisted into weapons for Dooku and Sidious. She couldn't help but feel a kind of kinship to them.

"This has to stop," she said softly.

Obi-Wan looked at her, a strange look, and nodded. "Here's what we'll do-"

Thi-Sen didn't seem to think much of planning. He charged in and began destroying anything and everything he could get his hands on. Unfortunately, that meant some of the containment fields around the adult snowhounds were deactivated in his wake.

The freed beasts launched themselves at anything that moved, doing just as much damage to their captors as Thi-Sen. One hound noticed Asajj and Obi-Wan in the doorway and leapt for them. Blue plasma sprang into life and sank easily into the soft belly. They jumped into the fray together, blades humming and flashing in harmony. Asajj had never been one to pity her enemy, but these creatures...

She cleared her mind of such thoughts. They would do nothing but distract her. She reminded herself that these snowhounds were bred for one purpose: to kill. There was no loyalty, no conscience, nothing but the drive to bite and tear and maim. She was breathing hard by the time Obi-Wan put down the last one. She surveyed the damage they'd done with grim satisfaction. The hardest part was done.

A chorus of high-pitched howls and whines broke through the brief silence. Oh no. The hardest part was yet to come. She stepped toward the enclosure where the five pups remained. Her heart clenched as she looked at them. They looked back with half-crazed eyes, all of them baring serrated teeth at her. Despite their ferocity and the knowledge of what they would grow into, they were still so young. They were just babies...

"Asajj." Obi-Wan put a gentle hand on her uninjured arm. She turned baleful eyes to him and saw that his own expression mirrored hers. Helplessness, horror, sadness, resignation. "We have to-"

"I know." She didn't think she could handle the words being said aloud.

"We can't help-"

"I KNOW." Why couldn't he ever just shut up? She raised her left hand and waved it over the pen. Five sets of bright gold eyes closed, two of the pups yawning before curling around each other to sleep. She felt Obi-Wan looking at her but she didn't dare meet his gaze. "On three," she whispered.

"One..." Red and blue blades came to life again.

"Two..." Her hand faltered as she raised it. Why was she so hesitant to kill now, after every atrocity and sinful thing she'd done in her life?

She felt Obi-Wan's fingers touch her chin and turn her head towards him. A tear fell down his cheek to disappear into his beard. His thumb brushed over the line of her jaw. "Three."

Asajj hadn't spoken since they'd returned to their ship. On paper, their mission had been a success. The snowhounds were no longer a threat, the Talz were safe once more, the Separatist facility destroyed (thanks to some simple rewiring of the heating system), and relations between Orto Plutonia and Pantora remained strong thanks to Senator Chuchi's compassion for the Talz.

But she didn't feel like celebrating. The necessity of killing the young snowhounds was only made slightly bearable by the fact that she had put them to sleep with the Force first. They hadn't felt any pain. Not that that made her feel any better.

"Are you alright, darling?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly. "You haven't said a word since we left the planet."

The sound of his voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "I haven't felt like talking," she said simply.

Apparently that wasn't good enough for him. "Asajj, what we did...it was for the best. Those pups wouldn't have had any kind of future worth living. Hopefully what we did here today will make Dooku think twice about expanding the project to other planets."

"I know. It doesn't make it any easier." She still hadn't looked at him. Her left hand rubbed her right bicep, a nervous trait she had picked up since becoming an ally rather than an enemy of the Jedi. "I saw myself in them, if you must know the truth. Those hounds weren't given any choice in what they became. It's not a perfect analogy; I had plenty of chances to make my own choices rather than follow orders. But when you're born and raised in a hostile environment with no choice but to kill to survive, that becomes second nature to you. Killing others becomes a part of life rather than a sin. I was once a living tool to Dooku like those hounds. The only difference is that they were never given a chance to become something else."

Obi-Wan was silent for a long time. She knew her honesty had shocked him (her as well), but she had found it easier to talk about such things with him. But only him; she'd not even been able to speak about her past or show her resurfacing compassion to Master Yoda. It was most unnerving.

Finally, he spoke, his voice soft and low. "Oh, Asajj. I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. We did what was necessary, deplorable as it was, end of story." Obi-Wan continued looking at her, obviously wanting to say something to put her mind at ease. _Fat chance._ She sighed heavily. "I'll get over it, Kenobi. It'll just take time."

He nodded once and turned back to the console. Several more minutes passed in silence. Trying to put the pups out of her mind had brought up another subject, one that she had been reluctant to address. "I'm sorry for earlier."

"For what?"

"For pushing you back in the Talz hut. I don't like waking up with someone lying on my one good arm."

"Oh, that. Yes, well…" What was this? The Great Negotiator stumbling over his words? "That-That was my fault, I suppose."

Asajj gave him a look. "Why _were _you lying beside me in the first place?"

She noticed how he was looking at anything but her. And was that a blush creeping his neck? "Well, it seemed that the virus in the snowhound's saliva was engineered to drop the core body temperature of whatever it bit. Quite ingenious, actually. That way if the hound didn't kill its victim outright the virus would." He almost turned to her, then seemed to think better of it. "It was the first thing I could think of to raise your temperature before you went into shock."

Asajj tilted her head at him. "So it never crossed your mind to use any of the furs in that place?" She almost smiled at his expression when she said that. _Apparently not_. She decided to spare him any further discomfort, as much amusement as she got out of it. "Anyway, thanks for the save. I consider it payment for saving your life from those hounds."

He laughed, a light sound tinged with mild embarrassment. She found she liked that sound. "Then we're even, my dear."

The trip back to Coruscant went on in comfortable quiet. But Asajj still couldn't help thinking about the hut. Looking back on it, she decided it was actually pretty nice to wake up next to him like that. Well, not with her life on the line, but still. She wondered if it would ever happen again…

* * *

**Yeeeeeah, this was originally just supposed to be about Asajj being cold and Obi-Wan giving her his coat and then it turned into this. I feel terrible for what happened with the pups, but the longer I wrote the more it just seemed to fit.**


	3. Kink

**If you know what 'kink' means, then you should already know that this chapter is most assuredly a hard M and most definitely NSFW. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!**

* * *

Obi-Wan had never blushed harder in his life. His entire face and neck burned all the way to the roots of his hair. _This was a mistake,_ he kept repeating in his head. _Why in space did I have to open that door?_

At his side, Asajj smirked as she ran a hand over his cheek and down his neck. "You asked, darling," she whispered in his ear. Her fingers journeyed back up his jaw to delve into his hair. The light scratches she gave his scalp were nearly as undoing as what she'd just said. "A lightsaber is an extension of self. Isn't that what you Jedi always say?" She leaned closer so that her lips just barely touched his ear. "And when you push the right button-" her other hand drifted down to his waist where his lightsaber rested innocently on his belt "-a pillar of _fire _grows. How much more phallic can you get before it becomes obscene?"

Oh, she was wicked. He'd never thought of it like that before, but now he wondered how he ever could have missed the similarity. Was this some dark Nightsister magic, being able to turn the innocuous into something...forbidden? Or was that just her natural talent? He tried to form a reply but found his throat wouldn't let any sound pass. Well, except for that whimper he hadn't meant to make.

The sound seemed to encourage Asajj, who drew herself into his lap, one knee on either side of him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her gaze was heavy, knowing, smoldering. He had to look away before he was completely done for. Of course, she didn't let him off that easily. Her hips rocked once against him and her lips returned to his ear. "You wouldn't have asked if you'd had no intention of trying it out, Obi-Wan."

The wet heat of her tongue on his earlobe was the final straw. Even his Jedi control could withstand only so much torture. He grasped her by the waist and pinned her to the bed, fully aware of her thighs tightening around his hips. "Has anyone ever told you that you are a dangerously wicked woman?" he breathed before kissing her neck.

He felt her smile. "None more often than you, dearest. Now take my clothes off."

He obeyed with gusto. When hidden flesh was revealed his mouth followed, kissing, caressing, nipping at every inch he could reach in his current position. She relaxed the deathgrip her legs had around him to allow him to remove her close-fitting pants. One leg returned to its previous position once she was bared before him, but the other had other ideas. The foot of that once pressed flat against his backside, driving him into her with enough force to draw a slight gasp from him. "Now, how am I to make your fantasy reality if you hold me here, my sweet?"

She grinned up at him without the slightest bit of shame or shyness. "Habit," she said simply before pulling him into a heated kiss that made her toes curl and her hips rise from the bed. He removed her foot from his back and placed it on the mattress. He hesitated before unclipping his lightsaber and holding it by her face. He noted how her breath hitched when he touched the bottom of the hilt to her skin and slowly drew it down her cheek. "You're a fast learner, Obi-Wan."

He kept his eyes fixed on his lightsaber as it traveled further down her neck, over one breast, and past her abdomen. "I do try." He brought his eyes back up to her face when he reached her hip. She stared back, her breath coming quicker and shallower. By the Force, she was breathtaking.

She jumped the moment his lightsaber touched the sensitive flesh between her thighs. The reaction drove him on, slowly, carefully pushing the cool metal into her molten heat. Every change, no matter how minor, in her expression was forever seared into his brain. Every chirp, whimper, and groan that escaped her lips he committed to memory. She arched into him when he could go no deeper, silently begging for more. Her nails bit into shoulder and arm. Her entire body shook with pleasure. Force, just watching her was enough to stoke his own arousal. "Move," she whispered brokenly.

Again, he happily obeyed. The sounds she made as he drew the hilt out then pushed it back in were exquisite. He focused on keeping his rhythm steady, on not accidentally igniting the weapon and injuring either of them, on not losing himself before bringing her to completion...which seemed to be approaching very quickly.

Never one to stay idle for long, Asajj lifted her hips in time with his thrusts. She devoured his lips as she moved faster, her fingers tugging harshly at his hair. Her orgasm ripped through her with an unexpected ferocity that shocked them both. She cried out against his mouth as it continued seemingly without end.

Hours could have passed for all he knew before her body finally collapsed. Aftershocks made her flesh tremble and twitch as she struggled for breath. Her skin was covered in a fine film of sweat, physical evidence of her pleasure that made Obi-Wan's male ego swell with pride. He lowered his head to her neck, his own breathing labored and his body aching for its own release, and carefully withdrew his lightsaber from her welcoming body. A sound of protest cut through the air before she loosed a heavy sigh and fell back to the bed.

Obi-Wan put his lightsaber aside, idly reminding himself to clean it off before leaving the room, and gathered his lover in his arms. She bonelessly returned the embrace. He pressed his lips into her neck, her pulse thundering beneath the thin skin, and inhaled her post-orgasmic scent. It was musky, thick, and beyond intoxicating. Several minutes went by until her breathing finally calmed down. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

Asajj chuckled. "More than alright. It's nice to know the reality is even better than what I could conjure in my head." He felt his face color at that. How did she continue to make him blush like that? "Now it's your turn, my darling." Without warning, she twisted her hips into his and held him down on his back. She gasped when his clothing rubbed against her still-sensitive flesh but didn't back down. "You fulfilled one of my fantasies. Would you like me to return the favor?"

He felt a flash of embarrassment before reminding himself that after what had just happened his fantasies would probably be disappointingly tame to her. "Do you still have those boots," he said softly as she kissed his neck. "The ones that come up to here?" A single finger drew a line halfway up her thigh.

She paused, then nodded and hummed against his skin. "Obi-Wan..." she moaned in pleased surprise.

He smiled at her reaction, emboldened. "Put them on."


	4. Home I

A weight settled in his chest as he looked at the woman beside him. Not the kind that had formed when he'd learned that his former student still lived as the Emperor's right hand. This was a welcome weight, one that reminded him his heart hadn't stopped beating and that, despite how everything had gone to hell in such a short a time, there was still happiness and hope to be found in the galaxy.

Faint moonlight illuminated her face as she slept, the soft glow making her seem even paler yet all the more ethereal. No longer was her mouth constantly drawn down into a frown. More often than not a tiny smile could be found on her lips whether waking or in sleep. The dark downy-soft hair that covered her head was no longer unusual, but fitting and endearing; he knew she especially loved when he would comb his fingers through it. Her eyes were the only things that remained unchanged. Still mercurial, still knifing, still so expressive, and oh so beautiful. Right now they were shut deep in sleep, but even the way her long lashes brushed her cheeks was beautiful.

Obi-Wan felt himself smile as he observed her. Just looking at her was almost enough to make him believe that the evil spreading across the galaxy would never reach them. His gaze drifted down to her abdomen, now rounded with new life. She was only a few months along, but she wouldn't be able to hide it under her robes for much longer. He gently reached through the Force as his hand hovered over her belly and felt the young life respond. His smile widened.

"You're doing it again," Asajj muttered, her already deep voice thick with sleep.

"My apologies," Obi-Wan whispered back. He didn't move his hand.

"You're not sorry at all, Kenobi." She shifted until the length of her body was pressed against his and drew his arms around her. All the while she never once opened her eyes. "I think you're more excited for this child than I am."

Obi-Wan gave a light laugh before kissing her forehead. "Can you blame me, darling?"

"I can when you keep waking me up, and when you're not the one who has to carry it."

"I'll try my best to contain my excitement in the future then."

Asajj snuggled closer into his inviting heat against the chill of the Tatooine night. "I don't mind it. Just don't wake me up in the middle of the night unless the house is on fire."

"That I can do, beloved." With one last press of his lips into her temple and a final pass of his hand over her swollen belly, Obi-Wan settled into his wife's arms and slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Scars

**This chapter can be read as a companion to "Beautiful Tragedy", but it stands alone as well. Follows the "Slaves of the Republic" arc of The Clone Wars.**

* * *

Obi-Wan trailed his fingers down her spine with delicate strokes. Asajj purred against him as he traced over scars old and new, but where she brimmed with pleasure he was filled with sadness. He knew how each mark had come to be, each horrific story of torture and Sith lightning used as punishment for her failures in Dooku's service. There were times when he wished for nothing more than to take them away, to relieve her of the pain that had come with them. He kept this sentiment to himself, though; she viewed her scars as reminders of what she had survived, of where she had been so she would never return to those dark places again. They had shaped her into the woman she was, for better or worse.

"You know the stories behind my scars," she murmured into his neck as if reading his mind, "but I don't know yours."

He chuckled. "You gave me quite a few of them, beloved."

Asajj pushed herself up to sit astride his lap. She wasn't laughing. "The ones on your back."

Obi-Wan sat up as well and wrapped his arms around her waist. The warmth of her bare skin was a balm. "I believe those were gifts from your lovely fingers, Asajj."

She almost smiled at the reference, but her annoyance with his evasion began to surface. "You know which ones I'm talking about, Kenobi." She rested her chin on his shoulder and looked down at the corded lines that slashed across his fair skin. The eight going vertically from his shoulders to the center of his back were hers, but the others were chaotic, paler with age and possibly endless treatments. She touched one with a gentle fingertip. Her heart broke when he flinched violently. "Who did this to you, my love?" She waited until his body lost its tension before touching him again. He didn't flinch this time, but his grip tightened on her hips to the point of pain and his body went rigid. Asajj backed off and instead caressed his cheek with one hand, the other burying itself in his hair. "Please tell me, Obi-Wan," she whispered with a soft kiss to his neck. "I won't force you to tell me, but you've shared my burden many times over. Let me share yours."

Obi-Wan's chest pushed against hers as he took a deep breath, then let it out against her shoulder. He made a conscious effort to relax his fingers from their deathgrip on her hips. He was thankful her hands stayed where they were; she knew how her touch affected him, especially when she stroked his hair. It was so very soothing.

"Zygerians," he said after a lengthy silence. "I was captured during a humanitarian mission...and nearly sold as a slave."

Now it was Asajj's turn to flinch. She'd heard how brutal the felinoids were to their 'property', and after her stint as a slave it was a fate she wouldn't wish on anyone. His arms tightened around her in an instinctive effort to comfort her; she would have laughed at the irony of the gesture at such a time, but he probably wouldn't have appreciated it. "What do you mean 'nearly'?" she asked instead.

"Anakin intervened during the...auction-" Asajj rubbed her cheek against his at the catch in his voice "-and I was sent to a work camp instead. Did you know the Zygerians are fond of vibro-whips? Because I didn't." He gathered her more closely against him to bury his face in her neck and inhale her calming scent. "That's how they got there, but..."

Obi-Wan cut himself off as the memories started coming back in full. He shuddered. "But what, darling?" Asajj prompted softly with a pass of her hand through his hair.

He reached up and removed her other hand from his face, toying with her fingers to distract himself from the remembered trauma. His voice was barely above a whisper when he continued. "The physical pain I could handle. I'd endured worse. The real torture was watching the Togrutas I'd sworn to help suffer because of me. If I tried to fight or even spoke out of turn, they were the ones who bore the punishment. I'd never felt so...utterly helpless." He let out a shaky breath before bringing her hand to his lips for a thankful kiss. "It was the most horrific feeling I've ever experienced. The scars remind me of my failure everyday."

Asajj looked at him as if seeing him for the very first time. To see him so vulnerable and exposed was surreal. Before now she'd have sooner believed that Dooku would return to the Jedi Order. She could almost feel her heart ripping itself apart in the face of her lover's pain. Taking her hand back and placing both on either side of his face, she lifted his head and forced him to meet her eyes. "But you escaped. You saved the Togrutas in the end. You're always telling me to not dwell on the past. Take your own advice for once, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan gave a weak smile at that. "And I've always attributed the 'do as I say, not as I do' approach to Anakin."

She ignored the mention of Skywalker. "Do you feel a little better now?"

"Much. Thank you, beloved." A gentle kiss to her jaw brought a soft smile to her lips. "You're well on your way to becoming a star Jedi."

"Again with the insults," she drawled with an exaggerated eyeroll. "Ill let it slide this time, but only because you're so pathetic right now." A wave of love through their Force bond and a genuine smile kept her words from stinging.

"Such kindness from Asajj Ventress?" he replied with a laugh, lying back on the bed and pulling her with him. "The Force is smiling on me tonight."

Before dawn broke over the Coruscant horizon, Obi-Wan woke and carefully disentangled himself from his lover. He silently gathered his clothes from where they'd been strewn around the room the night before. He'd sat down on the bed to pull his boots on when Asajj's fingers lighted on his bare shoulder. She kissed his skin affectionately, her hands trailing down his back. She traced the parallel lines she'd carved into his flesh first, then the ones made by the lash of a vibro-whip. She was relieved that he didn't flinch this time.

She decided to try her luck a bit more. She lowered her lips to the marks and followed their jagged stripes. In the back of her mind was the absurd thought that if she kissed them enough she could make them disappear, take away the horrible memories. She worked her way down until she came across other marks from different weapons and conflicts, then made her way back up. She drank in the sight of his expression: eyes closed in contentment, a gentle smile on his lips, his forehead smooth and untroubled.

The moment was over too quickly for both of them. The beep of his comlink broke through the comfortable silence and reminded them of the fact that the outside world awaited. "Kenobi here," he answered as Asajj helped him into his undertunic.

"Obi-Wan," a deep, serious voice said. "The Council is ready to brief you on your next assignment."

"Thank you, Master Windu. I'll be there shortly." He cut the connection and turned to Asajj with a rueful smile. "I don't mean to leave you without buying you breakfast first-"

Her lips on his replaced his apology with a string of sighs and muffled groans. He pulled her against him, his rough tunic scraping at her soft skin, when the tip of her tongue requested entry to his mouth. He happily granted it and returned the gesture. She pulled away when his kisses became more urgent, more demanding. "Keep it up and you'll miss that briefing," she breathed, only half-heartedly sorry for her role in his distraction.

"Hmm, where would I rather be: in a room surrounded by stoic Jedi Masters, or in bed in the arms of my fiery Asajj?"

"Get out there," she said with a grin. "Give Dooku an extra kick in the head for me."

Obi-Wan stood, disguising his reluctance to leave her warm embrace, and kissed the back of her slender, lethal hand. "That I can do, my sweet."


	6. Reunion

The cantina didn't look too great on the outside, but it was better than nothing. After the last few weeks he'd had, he was badly in need of a drink. The hooded figure kept to the shadows as he searched for an empty table or booth. Finding none, he let out a small sigh and took a seat at the bar. He tried to look as inconspicuous as possible; after the incident at the last bar he'd gone to he wasn't too keen for a repeat performance. "What's your poison, stranger?" a lilting voice said directly in front of him.

He looked up to see a fucshia-skinned Zeltron leaning on the bar, a rag over one shoulder and a less-than-innocent glint in her violet eyes. "What do you have?"

The buxom bartender smiled, showing glistening white teeth, and straightened as she rattled off a selection of beverages. "Juri Juice is always a favorite, eyeblasters, dragonjuice, sonic servodrivers, sonic screwdrivers, Starshine Surprise if you've got the stomach for it..."

"Dragonjuice will be fine." It was the only one of the bunch he recognized that wouldn't knock him off his seat in a nanosecond.

"You're new to these parts, aren't you," the Zeltron said as she prepared his drink. "What brings you all the way out to the Rim?"

"The scenic landscape." He didn't want to be rude, but he didn't want to get into personal details either. He was supposed to be in hiding. His life wasn't important, but another's was. He couldn't afford to trust anyone, not with Luke's life on the line.

To his surprise, the Zeltron laughed. It was a melodious sound that was honestly quite welcome after everything he'd been through lately. "Yeah, Tatooine's famous for its sparkling oceans and sprawling rainforests." She set a tall glass in front of him but didn't move away. "Personally, I never understood why anyone would willingly come here for more than a stopover to a more pleasant planet."

"Then why are you here?" he asked, genuinely curious.

She shrugged and sighed dramatically. "I made the mistake of falling in love. Sad, right?" She reached under the bar and started making another drink. "Love can make people do strange things, like voluntarily settle down in the middle of a desert world controlled by gangsters." Her hands suddenly stopped moving. She looked up and tried to meet his eyes beneath the hood of his cloak. "You know anything about that, stranger? Love, I mean?"

"Laira!" a second voice called out over the steady din of the cantina. The newcomer froze. "You are married with four kids. Stop flirting with the customers."

That voice. He knew that voice. He ducked his head and turned away from it. His hope that he wouldn't run into anyone familiar was smashed as soon as he heard _that voice._ Perhaps he could sneak out before she spotted him. Or maybe it wasn't really her at all...

"You're such a spoilsport, Mallika," his server said with an exaggerated eyeroll. "I'm just being friendly to the new guy." She turned back to him and set a second glass of dragonjuice on the bar with a wink and a whispered, "This one's on the house, sweetheart."

"What you're being is impossible, Laira." Yes, there was certainly no mistaking _that voice_. "Leave the poor man to drink in peace."

"Yes, mom," Laira chortled as she sauntered down the bar to her next patron.

He was just about to stand when another body stepped in front of him where the Zeltron had previously stood. "I apologize for my co-worker," she said, wiping a few spots of alcohol from where they had spilled when Laira had set the glasses down. He chanced a glance up... "She can get a little too friendly someti-" ...just as she looked up from her task.

They both froze. Time seemed to stretch between them, the chatter and drunken laughter around them drowned out by their simultaneous shock. Her pale silver eyes darted around his face. Then she moved: in a flash, she was out the side door as if she'd never been there at all. The only evidence of her passing was Laira's indignant "HEY!" as she was knocked aside. "Mallika!" she called before turning back his way. "What did you say to her?" She didn't wait around for his reply, hurrying away after 'Mallika'.

Obi-Wan chose not to stick around for either of them to return. He quickly made his own exit through the front. He kept his head and eyes down, his cloak drawn tight around his body, and simply tried to become invisible. It almost worked...until he wasn't paying attention and made a wrong turn down a narrow alley.

A tingle on the back of his neck was the only warning he had before a solid mass slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. A familiar _snap-hiss _and the sudden heat at his throat kept him pinned there_. "_How did you find me?" his attacker hissed.

He stared into those hypnotic eyes for a beat. "Nice to see you again, too, my dear." He was thankful his voice was steadier than his nerves.

Asajj drew her twin lightsabers closer to his neck. "Spare me your condescending pleasantries, Kenobi." He hoped she didn't notice his flinch at the use of his name. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now. And no smart remarks."

He lay there for a moment, her weight settled atop him and her deadly sabers ready to taste his blood, trying to come up with a plausible excuse to keep his head attached to his shoulders. In that brief time he made notes of the changes she'd made to her appearance. The tattoos were gone from her chin, but the thin ones that outlined her striking eyes remained. Her skin, though still pale was slightly darker, most likely thanks to Tatooine's twin suns (which begged the question: how long had she been here?). The biggest change, however, was the short, dark hair that now covered her scalp. He couldn't help but wonder if it was her own or synthetic.

A twitch of her hand told him he'd run out of time. He had no answer. Resigned, he let out a huff and dropped his head to the hard ground. "I'd appreciate it if you just made it quick, darling."

"You're not even going to try to fight back?"

He looked up at her tone. She sounded genuinely confused. "Why bother? You'd actually be putting me out of misery."

Her forehead furrowed as she looked down at him. Her expression alone spoke volumes: _where's the fun if you're not going to resist?_ "I'll ask one more time: how did you find me?"

"I didn't mean to," he replied honestly. "All I wanted was a drink."

She eyed him suspiciously. "That's all?"

He looked back with a steady gaze. "That's all."

For the tiniest moment, he thought the last thing he would ever see was her skeptical face before her blades cut into his flesh. Then she stood. She kept her lightsabers activated as he joined her on his feet. He couldn't say he blamed her for her distrust, especially not in these dark times. "Then what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out there being a pain in the Empire's backside?"

Obi-Wan allowed himself a small half-smile. He was glad to see her cynicism hadn't dampened. "I decided I'd take a vacation from heroics for a while."

"Right," she snorted. "Even now you can't be honest."

"That's rich coming from you, my sweet."

She bristled visibly. "I have _always _been honest, Kenobi. Just because you don't like my point of view doesn't make me a liar. I may have withheld the whole truth or bent it to my purposes, but I've never lied outright."

Obi-Wan raised his hands as her voice grew louder. "Okay, okay."

She twitched one crimson blade up to his chest. "For once just tell me the truth. If you're not here to finish me off, why are you here?"

He let out a long sigh. There was no getting out of this without either crossing blades, which would draw far more attention than he would like at the moment, or answering her sincerely. "The most I can say is this: I've come here to deliver hope. That's done, and I intend to look after it for as long as I can." She let out a harsh laugh. "Scoff if you must, darling. But I'm following the Force's will on this. If you kill me now, the fates of trillions of beings, including yourself, may be put in danger."

"Why should I care?"

"I know you do, Asajj. You're just going to have to trust me." She stared at him for a long while, her knifing eyes scanning him from head to toe. He relaxed when her lightsabers retracted safely back into their hilts. "Thank you."

"Whatever. I suggest you find someplace to hide like I did. Once this new Empire starts getting really greedy, not even the Rim planets will be safe."

Obi-Wan inclined his head respectfully, sincerely. "Again, thank y-" Movement in his peripheral cut his words short. He launched himself forward into Asajj and pushed her against the alley wall. He silenced her cry of surprise with a hand over her mouth and raised a finger to his lips. She understood and kept quiet. The newly-dubbed stormtrooper that had spotted them approached slowly, his steps almost arrogantly casual.

"He's not buying it," Asajj whispered, her breath drifting across his cheek. "If you're going to go this route, you need to make it more convincing." She gave him no time to ponder her meaning before she wrapped a leg around him and pulled him close. She grabbed his head, hood and all, with both hands and brought his face into the crook of her neck. She wasted no time in letting loose a series of high-pitched whines and deep-throated sighs that echoed off the surrounding stone. "Right there!" she cried in a voice not her own. "Don't stop!"

Obi-Wan remained frozen in shock. She kept moving, kept shouting in faux ecstasy, until the trooper halted in his tracks and made an abrupt about-face at what he was seeing...or thought he was seeing. Only when he turned the corner back into the busy street did Asajj's breathing return to normal and those exquisite sounds stop. "Maybe he'll rethink interrupting anyone else in dark alleys from now on," she said with a light chuckle. "You can let go of me now, Kenobi."

He looked down when he realized his hands had taken hold of her hips and were currently gripping them as if his life depended on it. He recoiled from her as if he'd been burned. He could still feel her softness in his palms. "Well, that was...um...unexpected," he stuttered.

She smirked at him. "It worked, didn't it?" She glanced back the way the stormtrooper had gone before softening her voice. "Not that I care, but do you have anywhere to stay?"

"Planning on killing me in my sleep?"

"I could have killed you at any time if I'd wanted to. I just want to make sure you're not going to do anything stupid that will get us both killed."

There was something in her voice that gave him pause, but she had a point. "Not at the moment. I'm sure I can find a place-"

"No, you're not," she said suddenly. "You're coming with me so I can keep an eye on you."

"Wha-right now?" He wasn't sure he liked the idea of going anywhere alone with Asajj Ventress.

"Yes, right now. Where there's one trooper, there are bound to be more. You should know that, as much time as you spent around those clones." Without giving him a chance to draw breath, she grabbed his wrist and led him back into the cantina. "Laira!" she yelled.

The Zeltron quickly appeared, her eyes wide in concern. "Mallika, what was all that abo-" She spotted Obi-Wan and narrowed her eyes. "Mallika, what is going on?"

Asajj simply collected her cloak as she answered. "I'm going to have to take the rest of the day off. And possibly tomorrow. You can take care of the place by yourself, yes?"

"Mallika, you can't walk out. Rendo will fire you."

"So I'm fired then. No big loss." She paused when she saw Laira's hurt expression. "I didn't mean you. It's just...something's come up that I have to take care of." Laira's gaze flicked toward a still-silent Obi-Wan, who ducked his head at her look. "Trust me, if I could avoid it I would, but it's in my best interest to handle it now." Asajj touched her friend's shoulder, a compassionate, gentle gesture Obi-Wan had never seen from her. "Laira," she whispered, obviously hoping he wouldn't hear, "I'll be back soon. Just tell Rendo I had a family emergency or something."

Laira frowned. "I HATE lying. But I'll do it. For you, Mallika."

"Thank you." Asajj turned back to Obi-Wan, the gentleness he'd heard in her voice nowhere to be found on her face. "Come on."

"Hey!" Laira called when they stepped out the door. "If she gives you too much trouble, you're more than welcome to stay the night with me, stranger."

"Unless you want to be part of a three-way with her and her husband, you'd do well to not take her up on that offer."

Obi-Wan hoped his hood kept her from seeing the blush that crept up his face at that.

* * *

Asajj had taken him to a small apartment complex on the other side of the city. After a few tense moments of not quite knowing what to do with each other, Asajj had told him to take her bed. "I won't be doing much sleeping tonight anyway," she'd said. He'd declined, saying he wasn't tired. She didn't believe him for an instant. A brief staredown ensued and he'd relented, if only to keep the relative peace between them going for a bit longer.

He'd been more exhausted than he'd thought; as soon as his head hit the near-flat pillow he'd fallen into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

It was dark outside the small widow when the first scream woke him. His hand went instinctively to his lightsaber as he regained his bearings. Then he remembered Asajj. He followed the agonized sounds to the main room and found her sitting against a wall, her legs drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and her head buried in her knees. Her entire body was shaking.

"Asajj," he said gently as he knelt beside her. She didn't look at him. "Asajj, what's wrong?" He reached out to touch her shoulder. That was a mistake.

She scrambled away from him and aimed both lightsabers at his throat. He saw then that she hadn't been awake at all. Even now she was struggling to see things clearly. "Easy," he said softly. "It's okay, Asajj. It's me." She turned frightened eyes up to his face, her breathing ragged and pained. There were tear tracks down her cheeks. "It's Obi-Wan. I won't hurt you. Please wake up."

She remained motionless but for the heaving of her chest as she tried to catch her breath and the trembling of her lightsabers. Then her eyes cleared. Recognition flared in them as she looked at him. She deactivated her weapons and put her hands flat on the floor beside her, her head hanging below her shoulders. She lifted one hand to cover her eyes. "What happened?" she asked groggily.

Obi-Wan settled himself on the floor when he was sure the worst was over. "You were having a nightmare. A pretty bad one from what I saw."

Asajj 'humph'd. "I don't have nightmares," she said stubbornly.

He chanced moving a little closer. "I beg to disagree, my dear."

She let out a frustrated sigh and moved back to the wall, flattening her back against the rough sandstone. He recognized the motion as a defensive tactic; she was subconsciously making sure she couldn't be attacked from behind by whatever had haunted her dream. "It wasn't a nightmare, Kenobi." She paused before clarifying, her voice suddenly tight and hesitant. "Memories. Bad ones." Her knees went back to her chest. She hugged them against her, both lightsabers still gripped in her hands.

Obi-Wan took a moment to observe her and marveled at the transformation from Sith assassin to the woman he now saw before him. Where others had merely seen a pawn of Dooku and Sidious, he had known there was a person beneath the veneer of savagery and contempt for the universe. As much as she would have and still would deny it, Asajj Ventress did indeed have a heart and conscience. And now it looked like the latter was catching up with her. At the moment he wanted nothing more than to try to ease the pain that had created those heart-wrenching cries that had woken him.

But he had no words of comfort for her now. She would know if he was lying just to sugar-coat the truth, and the truth wouldn't be of any help either. Nor would a lecture about how the past was in the past and it could only hurt if one let it. Instead, he simply asked, "Would you like me to leave you alone?"

Asajj didn't look at him, didn't answer. He thought she was just being difficult again and stood to return to his temporary bed. Her hand shot out and clenched the hem of his cloak. "Please stay," she whispered softly, still not meeting his eyes.

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to smile in relief. "Of course, my dear." This time when he sat down he sat very close beside her. He hadn't been expecting the way she closed the scarce distance and laid her head on his shoulder, one hand pillowed under her cheek. Although the move surprised him, Obi-Wan wrapped his arm around her back and held her. He hoped that, even if it were just for this one night, the nightmares that plagued her would leave her be.

* * *

Asajj led him out of the city the next morning, keeping to the shadows and back alleys in case any more stormtroopers decided to make an appearance. Once they were away from prying eyes, along with an eopie she had won from a Toydarian in a game of "chance", she turned to face him directly. "End of the road, Kenobi. Try not to get yourself killed."

Obi-Wan looked at her. Neither of them had mentioned what had transpired the night before and she had returned to her usual winning demeanor with the sunsrise. But there was a nagging feeling that something had changed within her, something he couldn't identify. It prodded against his Force signature until words he'd never meant to speak left his mouth. "You could come with me."

Her eyes went wide. "Have the suns baked your brain already?"

_Well, now backing out now,_ he thought. "I'm serious, Asajj. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't particularly look forward to spending the rest of my life in complete isolation without some kind of company. And I know you would rather avoid another encounter with those stormtroopers."

"I can handle them myself."

He sighed at her tone. "You're right. It's selfish of me to ask you to drop everything and go with me into the Wastes. Do forgive me." He made sure to keep his voice sincere; the slightest hint of sarcasm or patronization and their tentative truce would be shattered. "I should be going then."

"Kenobi," she said when he pointed the eopie away from the city to face the vast Jundland Wastes. He turned. She had her arms crossed under her chest and a very uneasy expression on her face. "About last night..." Was that a blush trying to spread across her cheeks? "Thank you. That was the first time in a long time I wasn't afraid to sleep."

He inclined his head at her. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Nightmares have a way of coming back for me. So, if you find yourself heading this way again...not that I want to make it a habit, but...you'd be more than welcome to stay at my place...if you want, that is."

For the fourth time in two days, Obi-Wan found himself surprised by his once-adversary. "I...would be most honored."

"Don't make a big deal out of it, Kenobi," she snapped. Now he was sure that was a blush. "It's just an offer. And I may not feel like playing hostess if you decide to take me up on it."

He tried to hide his smile at her evasion. "Understood, my dear." He took a step towards the Wastes, but stopped himself. "I know you may not appreciate it, but may the Force be with you, Asajj."

One corner of her mouth twitched up. "And you may think me disingenuous, but may it be with you as well." She extended a hand as she said the last word.

Obi-Wan hesitated, then reached out. Her skin was cool against his, her grip strong. The calluses on her palm and fingers were the only evidence that she had been something other than a mere bartender. She made to pull away, but he kept hold of her hand for a moment. He didn't know why he brought the still-lethal hand to his lips to press a kiss into the knuckles. He didn't know why he wanted to turn it over and gift a twin kiss to the palm. But the look on her face was worth his minor confusion. And the fact that she didn't behead him for it.

Before she could change her mind about that last part and without another word, Obi-Wan mounted the beast and made his way deep into the desert. He didn't see Asajj watching until he disappeared. He didn't see how she cradled the hand he'd kissed in farewell to her chest. And he didn't hear her soft words lost to the wind: "When I get bored of this place, and if your invitation still stands, I'll come find you, Obi-Wan."


	7. Bouquet I

**Yeeeah, this is pure fluff. DON'T JUDGE ME! (The flowers are based on the ones mentioned in The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi where he actually did plant seeds in her memory on Tatooine. I think I got the colors right, but I'm not positive.)  
**

* * *

The weekly trek across the endless sands of Tatooine was almost always unbearable. Stiflingly hot, rife with boredom, and worst of all, silent. At least it was until Asajj had finally relented and allowed Nalaya to accompany him. She was a relatively quiet child, especially when away from her little brother, but her presence helped keep Obi-Wan from feeling too lonely during the long hours.

The first sun had just disappeared below the horizon when they returned to their home in the Wastes. Nalaya dismounted Rooh first and waited for her father to follow so she could put the eopie in her pen for the night. A streak of white and grey bolted from the front door before Obi-Wan could turn. "Dad's back! Dad's back!" the little boy cried as he wrapped his arms around his father's legs.

"Hello there, Herun!" he said, a hand ruffling the child's dark hair. "I hope you and your mother weren't too lonely without us."

Asajj emerged from the doorway just as Nalaya rejoined her father. A smile bloomed on her lips as Obi-Wan hoisted Herun onto one shoulder while his other hand took hold of Nalaya's. She placed her hands on her swollen belly as she watched the three of them approach, Herun especially dominating the conversation. Never in her life did she imagine she would be a part of such a picture as this, that she would have found such happiness with the man who had once been her mortal enemy. "Mom! Dad has a present for you!" Herun said loudly when Obi-Wan set him back on the ground.

"If it's something that will get this child out of me faster so I can walk normally again, I'm all for it. Now both of you go inside and get ready for dinner." The children had only just disappeared into the small house when she felt herself being pulled into a gentle kiss. Obi-Wan took her bottom lip between his and gave a light suckle that made her gasp. One of his hands stayed on the curve of her cheek while the other went to her belly. They both smiled when young life greeted him through the Force. "What's this about a present, my dear?" she asked when he released her lips.

"Actually, Nala was the one who found it." He reached into his satchel and pulled out what seemed at first to just be a spiny stick. A second look revealed several tiny flowers, white with grey centers, dotted along its length. He presented it to her with a theatrical bow. "A gift of flowers for my lady." Asajj took the branch, carefully avoiding the thorns, and gently touched a petal. "Nala spotted a group of them on our way to the Lars farm. At first they appeared to be dead. But then I saw the flowers, curled up as if trying to hide from the suns. On our way home, I saw that they had opened. I immediately thought of you." He leaned in close then and whispered his next words against her cheek. "For the second time, I found beauty and life in something that at first glance was withered and soulless."

Asajj felt her heart beat faster and a pleasant tingling spread through her chest. Although incredibly touched by the gesture, she was still Asajj Ventress and wouldn't let him off so easily. "So, you thought I was 'withered' before you stole my heart, Obi-Wan?"

He offered an embarrassed smile as he looked away. "Well...umm...that's not what I-"

She silenced his stammered reply with a kiss that stole his breath. Her tongue swept across his lips until he granted her entry to his mouth. After all these years she still managed to reduce him to a speechless mess consumed by the fire of her passion. He wouldn't have traded that for anything in the galaxy.

"Gross!" a voice cried out. "Nala, they're doing it again!"

Asajj and Obi-Wan parted and shook their heads, twin smiles on their faces as their daughter replied to her brother. "Why are you telling me, squirt?"

"Make them stop! I'm hungry."

Asajj rolled her eyes but didn't let go of the back of her husband's neck. "I thought we were forgetting something," she said softly, playfully. She started to join him in his affectionate laugh until a gasp forced its way from her throat. Her free hand clutched at her stomach, Obi-Wan's going beside it in an instant. A powerful kick hit his palm. "Your child seems determined to dislodge my organs," she ground out through the discomfort.

Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile. "Why is it suddenly _my _child when you're annoyed, my love?"

She shot him a mock glare. "Shut up." When the kicking calmed down, no doubt thanks to her husband's influence, she straightened and studied the flowering branch. "We'll plant this in the morning. See what happens."

"Mom and Dad want us to staaaaaaarve!" came Herun's dramatic wailing. His love of theatrics certainly marked him as his father's son.

"Shut up, squirt." A soft _thump_ and a startled "ow!" marked Nala as her mother's daughter.

"Mom, Nala hit me!"

Asajj turned inside, once more in her mother wolf mode. "Nala, stop hitting your brother. Herun, stop whining. We'll eat as soon as I set the table."

Obi-Wan remained outside for a few moments. Listening to them talk, his wife and his children, their affectionate bickering was as soothing to him as any music he'd ever heard. Like Asajj, not once in his life did he ever think he would have had a hand in creating such a family, let alone with a woman who had once claimed his death as her right. Now his life was hers, just as hers had been given freely to him. Despite the circumstances that had led them to this remote corner of the Jundland Wastes, he could honestly say that he was able to find some measure of peace within the walls of their small home. The Empire still loomed outside those walls, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine delivering every horror and sin imaginable upon the galaxy. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

The deep-rooted grief he'd tried so desperately to repress threatened to overtake him again as he thought about how the Jedi Order had failed to protect the galaxy from the evil of the Sith. Only Asajj's hand on his arm and the knowing look in her eyes beat it back into submission. He clasped her hand and pressed a kiss into the knuckles. "Come on," she said tenderly. "There will be time for regrets and sadness later."

He smiled at her in silent thanks. She smiled back. With one last look at the rising moons, Obi-Wan thanked the Force for gifting him with his family before closing the door behind him.


	8. Escape I

**HARD "M" WARNING AGAIN!**

**Set right after "Revenge" at the end of season four! I finally wrote out what happened in that fricking pod between these two. **

* * *

Asajj tried to ignore the pitiful whimpers and stifled groans of pain. She really did. But with only bad memories and visions of blood and fire and screams waiting for her in the darkness behind her eyelids and the emptiness of space out the viewport she had little else to focus on.

Kenobi had taken quite a beating before she had shown up and rescued him, a curious act that she still found herself pondering. Bruises had started to form on his face, a fact that irritated her beyond reason (if anyone had the right to damage him like that it was HER, not Opress and his monstrosity of a sibling), and she was sure more than a few of his ribs had been fractured in the fight. They hadn't spoken a word since he'd released the escape pod from the monsters' ship and the silence had started to become oppressive.

Now Kenobi was in the aft compartment attempting to treat his wounds with what minimal supplies were stored there. Apparently he wasn't faring too well given the sounds making their way to the cockpit. A few more minutes and she couldn't take it anymore.

Asajj released an audible huff and her brow furrowed in annoyance. With the pod set on autopilot for the time being, she made her way to her unexpected companion...and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her.

He sat with his back to her, and with his tunic off she could see every laceration that had ever been carved into his skin. Old scars, pale and smooth with age, littered his flesh, but the ones that offended her most were the recent ones he'd sustained from Maul and Savage. Long scratches from metal talons and razor-sharp claws only looked slightly less worse than they really were because of the darkening bruises that peppered his back. He could only reach the top of one shoulder with the bacta he now held in one hand but was stubbornly trying to reach the rest of his wounds.

The agonized groan that came from his mouth when he attempted to twist to his left was the last straw.

Asajj strode forward on silent feet and none-too-gently took the bacta from his hand. He looked up at her with a startled expression but didn't stop her. She remained standing behind him as she covered the worst of the blasphemous injuries with the cool gel. Never in her life did she imagine she would be tending to a Jedi, let alone this one. _How the wretched have fallen,_ she thought to herself.

She tried to rationalize her actions and thoughts as her fingers tenderly probed and smoothed over his torn flesh. This wasn't concern. This wasn't because she cared. This was because only she was allowed to draw his blood, to bruise his body. Whatever grudge Maul had had against him was irrelevant to her. She was the only one allowed to break him. It was the least she deserved after everything he'd put her through.

When she had finished with the bacta, Asajj carefully moved one hand around to his chest to feel for what damage had been done to his ribs. Sure enough, she felt at least two fractures. She let out a breath through her nose and drew on the Force to try to mend them as best she could until he could get proper medical care. She was so focused on knitting the bone back together and coaxing the swelling to go down that she didn't hear his barely audible sigh of contentment.

But she did feel it when he took hold of her hand when the worst damage had been fixed. She did feel it when he raised that hand that had been healing instead of harming away from his side. And she certainly felt it when he pressed his lips, half-dry and cracked as they were, into the back of it. She was so startled by the gesture that she couldn't move; she didn't dare to. Something had sparked deep in her gut the moment his lips touched her skin. She didn't dare give that spark a name. What was this trick he was playing?

Asajj didn't acknowledge the fact that her free hand trembled slightly when she touched her fingers to his bearded chin and turned him to face her. Whatever she had been about to say died in her throat at the look in his eyes. The spark that she felt spreading through her chest was reflected in those clear blue eyes. She couldn't deny that there had always been some kind of attraction between them, some kind of magnetic pull that initiated their intimate banter and prompted them to always let the other get away from a fight. But was that what this was now, that attraction making its way to the surface in the face of the silence of space and the relief of finding themselves alive after the brutal confrontation with Maul and Savage?

Before her rational mind could resume control, Asajj found herself leaning down towards the man who had once been her most bitter enemy. He didn't move, didn't raise a hand to stop her descent. A sudden wave of apprehension made her hesitate for a moment, but the warmth of his breath on her face urged her on.

The barest touch of her lips to his nearly made her lungs seize and her heart stop. She'd kissed men before, but this one was in a league all its own. His lips were warm against hers and though the kiss was short and chaste, it was filled with something she didn't know she'd craved: comfort.

She pulled back before her lips could turn traitor and persuade his to play a more dangerous game. She kept her eyes on the floor when she released his chin. She didn't want to see the disgust in his eyes. It had been a spur-of-the-moment urge, one that she would never have acted on if she'd given herself a moment more to consider the consequences. And now it was over. They could continue this trip to stars-knew-where in silence and pretend it had never happened.

At least they could have if Obi-Wan hadn't kept a tight hold of her hand when she tried to turn and leave.

She chanced a look back as he carefully stood, her expression schooled into a mask of blankness that she hoped would disguise whatever emotions that were flooding through her. The touch of his hand on her jaw was the only warning she had before he took her lips between his with a deep sigh. Her eyes went wide in shock before the pleasure took over and made them flutter closed. This time the contact was less innocent but no less tender.

Obi-Wan moved slowly as if not to spook her. His caution had an entirely opposite outcome, however: it encouraged her to wrap her arms around his neck and hold him in place. A brief whimper escaped her throat when his other arm circled around her waist and pulled her completely against him. Either she was freezing or he was burning, she thought. His heat seeped through her clothes to her skin and made it tingle. Was he doing that on purpose? Could body heat even be transferred through the Force? More importantly, did it even matter right now?

He pulled back first, slowly, achingly. His lower lip stuck slightly to hers in such a way that made it seem as if they were lightly fused together. Asajj wanted to follow, wanted to chase down his warmth and devour it. _Screw it._ She surged forward and captured his mouth again, this time darting the tip of her tongue between his lips. She swallowed his grunt of pain when she inadvertently pressed into a tender spot on the side of his ribs she hadn't healed. He didn't seem to mind too much, though.

Both of his arms went around her, one hand sliding up her back, and he stepped back toward a bench situated in a recessed section of wall. As if she weren't shocked enough by the sudden turn of events, he sat down on the bench and drew her into his lap so that her knees were on either side of his hips. All without taking his mouth from hers. In fact, he seemed loath to part from her at all.

Her fingers found their way into his hair and scraped against his scalp, eliciting a sound from him that sounded suspiciously like a cross between a growl and a purr. That sound make the spark that had ignited at the first contact of his lips to her skin burst into a steady burn that started deep in her gut and migrated to the places where their bodies touched. She wondered if he felt it, too.

The way he chased her tongue with his when she teasingly pulled back was answer enough. His hands seemed to be everywhere at once: on the back of her head, under the curve of her jaw to tilt her head to better angles, in the dip of her lower back, on the point of her hip. His touch was killing her. The feel of his hot skin under her palms threatened to undo her. The absent thought that this wouldn't be such a bad way to die crossed her mind before one of his hands tentatively found its way under both her tunic and shirt.

Asajj was never one to stay idle, nor let someone else decide the pace of seduction (the fact that the times before now were never about pleasure and all about business was irrelevant). So when his fingers crept up her side she hurriedly peeled off her belt and tunic and pulled her shirt over her head. The movement forced her to separate from his mouth, that mouth that she was quickly learning could be quite sinful when it wanted to be.

She tried to memorize the quickened pace of his breath as he looked at her, his eyes trailing down the expanse of her pale skin with something that resembled unabashed desire. The fingers of his right hand followed his gaze over her collarbone, down her sternum, and finally (FINALLY) over one of her suddenly sensitive breasts. She gasped at the contact and tightened her grip on the back of his neck to try to ground herself from the pleasure. That gasp became a full-blown moan when his mouth lighted on the same breast he'd caressed moments ago. He seemed encouraged by her reaction and pulled her closer while his lips and tongue tormented her nipple into a hardened peak.

Asajj wondered if the Jedi rule of repression was why Obi-Wan was so eager to take initiative; how long had he imagined touching someone like this with no fulfillment? Not that she much cared at the moment how and why he was so good at making her feel this way. All that mattered was that he _was._

He'd worked his way up to the thin skin of her throat when she couldn't stand it anymore. The combined sensation of his hot mouth claiming her flesh and the growing hardness beneath her thigh was too much. She removed herself from his lap for an instant (though it might as well have been an eternity) to shed the rest of her clothes as quickly as physically possible. He took her lead with only the slightest hesitation, kicking off his boots and began to push his pants down his legs. He groaned in sudden pain before the fabric made it to his shins. One hand clutched at his side where at least one other rib was fractured.

Asajj went to him immediately. Not out of concern for his well-being. Definitely not for that. Regardless, she replaced his hand with hers and reached again into the Force. This one was worse than the other two; how he'd managed to conceal his pain this long she could only guess. Several silent moments, punctuated by their rapid breathing, passed while she focused on mending the bone and repairing the damaged blood vessels.

When it was done, she heard him let out a shaky breath. "Thank y-"

She covered his mouth with her fingers before he could finish the word. She locked her eyes on his and shook her head. The gesture spoke as loudly as if she'd said it aloud: _no words._ Words only complicated everything. Even something as innocuous as a 'thank you' would ruin the illusion they'd unintentionally created. She knew this wasn't love in the least, wasn't even a true relationship to speak of. But for just a moment she could pretend it could be.

Obi-Wan understood her desire for silence; it was as plain as daylight in his eyes. But there was something else in those cerulean depths, something she refused to identify. If she didn't know him any better, she would have sworn it was something akin to hurt.

She shut out that impossible notion by taking his lips in hers once again. He pulled her back into his lap as he returned the kiss with equal fervor. He kept her hips pressed tightly against him as he moved back slightly. She heard his muffled moan when his raw back touched the cold steel wall, but he didn't relinquish his hold on her. She couldn't help but be a tiny bit proud of herself for instilling such emotion in him that he would forgo physical comfort in favor of continuing their illicit caresses.

Asajj let one hand stroke down the line of his jaw before moving further down to his shoulder, over his chest, and still further down past his abdomen. She drank in his startled gasp when he realized what she was planning. But just before she reached her target she withdrew her hand and raised herself to her full height on her knees.

Obi-Wan pulled away from her lips at the change in position. He stared into her eyes as he tried to regain his breath. She wondered what he was thinking at that very moment. 'Dear Force, don't stop'? 'What am I doing'? 'This is wrong'? 'This is right'? The sound of his gulp chased all thought from her head. He wanted this as badly as she did, if not worse. There was no mistaking that look in his eyes.

As slowly and carefully as she could stand it, Asajj lowered herself onto him, her breath hitching at the first touch of his flesh to hers, then abandoning her completely the deeper she took him. Colors danced behind her closed eyelids when she was once more flush to his body. She felt his breath invade her mouth, his lips only just barely touching hers. All at once she felt as if she would burst into flames, drown, and suffocate. Never had she felt so utterly _complete._

Obi-Wan recovered first, the touch of his trembling hand on her cheek bringing her back to the present. He claimed her lips before she could move. Once more she was surprised by the tenderness with which he treated her. Her surprise lasted only as long as it took him to grip the curve of her backside. She knew a signal to move when she felt it. And she wholeheartedly obeyed.

She kept a tight hold of his hair and forearm as she lifted herself from him, then descended again. Up and down, empty and filled, cold and hot. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered her knees beginning to ache, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was the fire consuming her from the inside out, the gentleness of his strength as he held her to him, the slickness of the sweat that covered them both, and the unmistakable sounds of passion that rose from deep in his chest to disappear into her own greedy mouth.

A brief moment of clarity cut through the haze that had settled on Asajj's mind. Instead of using it to linger on doubt and fear of what would come after this encounter ended, she decided to see if she could coax any other exquisite sounds from him. Without breaking stride, she leaned back ever so slightly so that only the very tip of her tongue remained between his lips. The result was better than she expected.

A helpless whine tore from his throat as he tried to follow her. His grip on her yielding body tightened. Even his Force signature pulsed in protest and tried to wrap around hers. She pulled back again, cruelly teasing him. She finally had the great Obi-Wan Kenobi at her mercy. If her body wasn't so intent on reaching its explosive destination she would have laughed in triumph.

As it was, she couldn't continue indefinitely. Her body was wound tight and ready to release. She surged forward to mold her chest to his, his breath echoing in her ear as his arms wrapped tightly around her. She couldn't find her voice even if she wanted to speak. Instead she tried channeling a single thought the Force and hoped he would hear it: _fall with me._

Whether he heard her or not, she didn't know. But it didn't really matter in the end. Because when her body, mind, and spirit flew apart in the wake of a blazing inferno that wrenched a long startled moan from her, Obi-Wan joined her. His arms tightened around her, shaking with the violent intensity of his own release, a primal, strangled sound ripped through his chest, and his skin seemed to burn against hers.

The following moments were nothing but a blur of sound and bursting color behind closed eyes. The next thing Asajj knew she was desperately trying to fill her lungs with air and struggling to remain upright. She felt herself start to sway, then pitch forward. A pained hiss cut through the air. If she'd had the breath she would have started laughing: Obi-Wan had collapsed against the wall, temporarily forgetting his injuries until the raw skin hit the cold steel.

Asajj concentrated first on calming her breathing, the soothing strokes of his hands on her back and up her sides simultaneously helping and hindering. Once that was accomplished, she listened to him trying to do the same. He swallowed a few times, presumably to wet his dry throat. The action was simple and unimpressive on its own, but it gave her ego a pleasant boost to know that she'd caused the need for it in the first place.

She raised her head, which felt ten times heavier than normal, and gazed down at him. His eyes were half closed, still smoldering with desire, his mouth was open, and his skin had a reddish tint. He looked positively breathtaking. He drew in a breath deeper than the rest, but Asajj stopped him with a gentle, heated kiss. _No words. No false promises, no saccharine assurances, no lies. _She felt him give a tiny sigh into her mouth just before she pulled away. Whether it was from frustration or something else she couldn't say.

It took more willpower than she wanted to admit to sever their intimate connection. She was pleased to see that he twitched as she did so; not a sudden jump or an exaggerated flinch, but a subtle, barely noticeable twitch. It was enough to prove to her that he wasn't as averse to physical affection as he wanted to pretend. Well, that and the entire encounter, but still. She braced herself to leave his warmth and the protective circle of his arms entirely. His hands on her back stopped her. She looked at him in confusion. He opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. Instead he shook his head, closed his eyes, and rested his forehead against hers. Just as she had spoken without words before, so did he now: _stay._

Every fiber of her body and mind screamed at her to ignore the silent plea, to pull herself away from the comfort she didn't deserve and rebuild her walls. But the purity and sincerity in his touch, in his Force signature overrode her better judgment. He smiled when she nodded once. She didn't deserve that smile. She didn't deserve any of this. But she was just greedy, selfish, and desperate enough to take it.

Obi-Wan kept one arm around her waist as he reached for his tunic on the floor. He groaned in discomfort as the motion irritated his still-healing wounds, but he pushed on until the fabric was clenched in his hand. Asajj remained still, wondering what exactly he was planning. She had her answer when he pulled her down to lie on the bench beside him and carefully threw the rough cloth over them both. Their lower legs remained exposed, but neither cared. The important thing was that she was once more enveloped in his arms.

She knew he didn't mean it, but there was a clear sense of security that came with his embrace. His heartbeat under her palm was a promise of safety and fondness. After this whole thing was over and they landed on some remote world to go their separate ways, she would remember that she was selfish enough to take everything he offered even if it wasn't genuine, even if she wasn't the slightest bit worthy of it regardless.

Asajj felt his breathing even out and his flesh return to a normal temperature. She chanced a look up at his face and felt her heart lighten at the sight. Although his face still sported discolored patches of bruises, he looked more handsome than she'd ever care to admit. His brow was smooth, his eyes were closed, and his lips were turned up in the smallest of smiles. Contentment radiated from him like a physical thing that poured over her, urging her to join him in that peace and calm.

Instead of peace, it was a wave of awe that washed over the former assassin as she observed him. His presence in the Force was always a beacon of Light even when she had tried pushing him to the edge in the past, but now he seemed to be made of Light itself. Part of her wanted to cower away from it, unworthy of existing in its warmth after all the terrible things she had done. But another part wanted never to leave not only the Light he exuded, but never leave this pod, this room, his arms.

Of course, reality would never let that foolish daydream come to pass. First of all, his Jedi brethren would search the galaxy over for him when he didn't return to their Temple. They would find them, rescue their comrade, and execute her without the slightest hesitation. Secondly, she would go space happy if confined to such a small area for long. Thirdly, he was a staunch Jedi. Even if she did feel something other than simple physical attraction and grudging respect towards him, he would never go back on his archaic and, in her view, pointless vows to the Order he so loved. Especially not for her. And lastly, she and Obi-Wan would end up killing each other in the end. What they had just shared was unexpected yet glorious, but it was a one-time thing. Sex was not the basis for a drastic change in relationship, nor was it enough to sustain either of them emotionally or mentally.

Asajj nearly growled in frustration at the turn her thoughts has taken. She wasn't some lovesick child. This would end as soon as possible.

But for now, she reached up a hand and brushed a wayward piece of soft hair from his face. The movement made his eyes open and his smile widen. Her breath caught in her throat. He took her hand and brought it to his lips for another kiss. He was making a damnable habit of breaking through her defenses with that gallant gesture. She let out a half-hearted huff when he pulled her hand to nuzzle his cheek into her palm. He grinned at her, then laced his fingers with hers and held both their hands against his chest. "Sleep," he whispered before closing his eyes.

She stared at him for a beat, torn between wanting to smack him for speaking even that one word and wanting to curl into his side for the rest of her life. He trusted her not to kill him in his sleep, not to alter the pod's course from wherever he'd set it. She didn't know how to respond to that kind of trust, especially since their alliance was only recently established and temporary. Once they landed they would go back to their lives and trying to kill each other should they cross paths again. Normalcy between them would resume. Everything would go back to the way it was meant to be.

So why did that make her chest feel so hollow?

A shake of her head put the thoughts out of mind and the vision of Obi-Wan's dozing expression kept them away. She gave his hand a light squeeze as she settled closer against him. Reality be damned for the time being. For now, she just wanted to imagine that she was wanted and safe. And it wasn't so bad if it was in Obi-Wan's arms.


	9. Peace I

Asajj wondered if he knew she wasn't always asleep when he slipped into bed behind her. She had learned long ago out of necessity how to control her breathing, heartbeat, and eye movement and regulate her body temperature to mimic sleep while still being completely alert to her surroundings. Besides, it wasn't like she wanted to sleep; all that waited for her behind that veil were memories soaked in blood and screaming with pain both physical and emotional.

She heard the door slide open, saw the blackness behind her closed eyelids lighten with the glow from the hall before being shut out again, felt his presence brush across her like a feather-light caress. She didn't move, didn't twitch a muscle. It had been a tiring day and although she would get what she wanted eventually, she would rather forego the lengthy conversation he was so fond of and get right to the endgame: his arms around her and the memories chased away.

She kept her heartbeat steady when she felt the mattress shift beneath her. A smile almost turned the corners of her lips up, but she fought down the urge lest he notice the change. _Left boot, right one_, she thought, silently narrating the routine she had become so familiar with. _First the tunic, now the shirt._ A soft rustle of fabric confirmed each thought. It was comforting to know that her lover could be dependable in every way, even in the way he undressed.

A heavy, muffled _thud _punctuated his lightsaber being set on the bedside table, right next to hers. A slight breeze drifted over her back as the sheets were pulled up, the cool air making her skin tingle. Heat quickly replaced the draft. Obi-Wan slid closer until he lay flush against her, his left arm carefully draping over her waist while the other snaked under her neck to wrap around her shoulders.

Asajj knew she couldn't not react; even when she did sleep, she did so lightly. As careful as he was being, anyone not completely unconscious would have at least adjusted position to accommodate the added appendages. She shifted back into his bare chest, straightened and bent her legs, tilted her head slightly back. As good as she was at faking sleep, she couldn't quite stop the contented sigh that escaped her lips when his beard lightly scratched her neck as he put his chin on her shoulder. His lips quickly followed.

"Apologies, dearest," he whispered, his words more breath than voice. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Asajj shifted again, more purposefully this time. She raised her left arm and reached behind her to touch her fingers to his cheek. "Yes you did," she whispered back. "If you didn't, you wouldn't have manhandled me so much."

The sudden rounding of his cheek gave away his smile. His hand grasped her wrist to more firmly press her palm against his face. "I thought you liked my 'manhandling'." A soft nip to the sensitive skin of her wrist drew a rumble of pleasure from her throat. He pulled her closer against him at the sound, one leg wrapping around both of hers. "Perhaps I just couldn't wait until morning to have you in my arms again."

Now she did smile in earnest. "One moment, you're lying through your teeth, the next, you speak absolute truth. Make up your mind, my dear."

"How can I when you cloud my thoughts with your beauty?" he laughed, pressing a lingering kiss behind her ear.

"Enough with the sweet talk, Kenobi. You're giving me diabetes." She took his left hand, placing hers under his, and laced their fingers together before drawing his arm back across her.

His soft exhale across her neck made her shiver. "Good night, my darling," he breathed.

Although she would never admit it to anyone, not even Obi-Wan, she couldn't deny that her sleep was decidedly less horrific when she was ensconced in his arms. She briefly wondered if that was his doing, then decided she didn't much care about the how or why. All that mattered was that the terrible images and sounds that usually haunted her steps in the dreamworld were chased away by his warmth and his love.

For the first time in her life, one that had been filled with pain, heartbreak, despair, and rage, Asajj Ventress knew what true peace was.


	10. Spar

The thrum and clash of lightsabers shattered the usual serenity of the Jedi Temple. Red and blue plasma met and parted, slashed and parried, a flurry of light that a casual observer wouldn't be able to follow. Both combatants were too well-trained, too determined to not let the other win this battle to let up. Their shouts and ferocity kept the audience that had gathered around them from interfering; comprised mostly of Padawans with a few Knights and Masters scattered in, none dared get too close. They knew that this fight was personal.

Neither of them maintained the upper hand for long; Obi-Wan's steadfast strength and skill with the Force prevented her from employing any fancy acrobatics, but Asajj's speed and agility kept him off-balance. She had grown stronger as a fighter, no longer forsaking her focus and skill for sheer anger. Now she had polished her moves, perfected her techniques. She had lost one of her lightsabers earlier in the fight, flung aside with a flick of his wrist, but she was no longer hindered without it. She fought just as well with one as she did with two. She was now more dangerous than ever.

The crowd of Jedi wondered if either would finally overpower the other, or if the battle would end in a forced stalemate; everyone knew that neither Obi-Wan Kenobi nor Asajj Ventress would give up while they still had breath in their lungs.

The collective unasked question was soon answered. Asajj had evaded a blow, spinning away from the deadly sapphire blade, but in doing so she'd inadvertently found herself with back to her opponent. She gasped when his arm shot around her waist to pin her against him. His blade came dangerously close to her neck, but she'd had enough presence of mind to raise her remaining lightsaber to block the fatal strike. She had to hold the hilt with both hands just to keep the sizzling beams away from her skin.

The glisten of sweat on their faces and their labored breathing was the result of the exertion of the fight, but their closeness makes it take on an entirely different meaning. "Do you surrender, my sweet?" he whispered in her ear, keeping his voice low so none could overhear.

Asajj shivered. Keeping a tight hold on her lightsaber, she turned her head towards him. "Never." The kiss she gave him then, savage, demanding, and possessive took both him and their audience by surprise. He managed to keep his grip on both her and his saber hilt...until she licked his lips. His hands faltered for a split second, but it was just long enough for her to strike.

She spun out of his grip, her right hand sliding down his arm and wrenching his weapon from him. When she faced him again, she had both lightsabers crossed at his throat. He could only stare at her in shock when she gave him a wicked grin.

"I win," she breathed triumphantly.

For a long moment the only sound in the open room was the ragged gasp of their breathing. No one in the audience dared make a noise or even move a muscle. "You cheated," Obi-Wan finally said.

Asajj uncrossed the glowing blades and stepped back, both weapons still pointed at his chest. "There's no such thing as cheating when there are no rules, my darling." She turned sharply to face one observer in particular. "Am I wrong, Master Iron Hand?"

The Master's face was impassive, as blank as the walls around them. Even her eyes betrayed nothing. "Asajj is correct, Master Kenobi. Anything and everything is legal in a no-holds-barred spar, This match goes to Asajj." A few scattered claps broke the air before the crowd began to disperse.

Moments later Obi-Wan and Asajj were left alone, a satisfied smirk on her face as she deactivated both blades. "I still say that was cheating," he complained.

She gave him an innocent look. "So it's my fault you were so distracted by a little kiss?"

She held out his saber hilt. She snatched it back when he reached for it, then finally relinquished it when he huffed. "That was hardly a 'little kiss', my dear." His face colored slightly, a fact that amused her to no end. "And that kind of tactic isn't exactly fair no matter how you look at it."

Asajj rolled her eyes and started down the hall, Obi-Wan falling into step beside her, his hands clasped behind his back. Neither of them were in any hurry nor had any destination in mind. "Now, now. What about that Jedi detachment and serenity you're always preaching about, Obi-Wan? Seems to me you're losing your touch."

He lowered his voice and leaned towards her. "That didn't seem to be your attitude the other night, beloved."

Unlike him, Asajj was not new to innuendo and double meanings. She didn't take the bait. "I could teach you to not let a little kiss shake your precious focus, Obi-Wan. It would do wonders for your control whenever we spar." He waited for her to elaborate. She was up to something; why else would she make such an offer? "But," she continued brightly, "why destroy one of my few advantages over you? Where's the fun in that?"

Obi-Wan stopped dead in his tracks. She threw a smile over her shoulder and kept walking, her laugh resounding through the hallway like a bell. _Impossible, wicked woman._ He shook his head with a laugh of his own and hurried to catch up to her.

* * *

**Wtf is up with me and writing fluffiness for these two? xD**


	11. Surprise I

**Finally got away from the fluffy stuff for a bit. I love writing fluff for these two, but I still really love their adversarial relationship.**

* * *

Obi-Wan was not having a good day. First was the ambush by vulture droids. Then Anakin nearly led both of them to a fiery end with his fancy flying maneuvers. And now his former Padawan was nowhere to be seen, leaving Obi-Wan to face off with his most dangerous enemy all by his lonesome. What made it even worse was that Ventress seemed to have gotten better since their last meeting.

She had more control over her anger (not complete, of course, but enough to not let it consume her when he broke through her defenses), was faster with both her feet and her hands, and was infinitely more ferocious. She came at him without hesitation, without any thought but for cutting him down. He didn't let it show, but he was actually getting nervous.

Twin blades of burning crimson slashed and shrieked as they descended on him. Only one beam of blazing blue kept them from making contact with his flesh. Ventress hadn't said a word since their fight began. No word of contemptuous greeting. No playful yet biting remarks about how weak and useless the Jedi were in the face of the Dark Side. _Odd..._

He dodged a kick aimed for his knees and countered with a spin of his lightsaber. Her red blades intercepted it, allowing her another chance to get her kick in. This time she aimed for his midsection and connected. He slammed into the wall, the breath vacating his lungs with a violent _whoosh_. His opponent didn't move when he feel to one knee. In fact, she seemed as immovable as stone as she watched him try to catch his breath. _Very odd..._

"You know," he gasped when he saw that she wasn't going to attack even when she had a greater advantage, "we could forego all these little spats...in the future...if you would just...surrender."

She didn't return his playful smirk. Only her eyes moved, burning like twin orbs of cold flame. No rebuttal? No vehement assertion that she would never surrender to the likes of him? She just stared at him.

Now a new kind of nervousness settled in Obi-Wan's breast.

A shadow passed across Ventress's face. Obi-Wan watched, now breathing more normally, as her gaze flicked down to her still-sizzling lightsabers. A question formed in her eyes, but she did not give it voice. Instead, she snapped her head back up to glare down at him. "You're not worth my time," she said, her voice low and almost soft.

Obi-Wan hid his surprise with a flippant, "You wound me, darling."

She didn't acknowledge the quip. "Take the Skywalker brat and get off my ship before I change my mind."

Ventress turned on her heel and walked away, but not before Obi-Wan saw the pained look in her eyes as she deactivated her weapons, or the slight flinch in her right shoulder as she said the words. He stared after her, her steps deliberate and unhurried as if there were no enemy intruders on her ship at all. He pushed himself to his feet, one hand going to his ribs as the motion jostled a possible fracture, and reached into the Force to follow her there. A most curious sensation met his metaphysical presence...before it was flung back and barred from sensing her altogether. It was as if she had effectively slammed an invisible door shut between them.

Obi-Wan didn't pursue her. He had much to contemplate about his mercurial opponent...after he found Anakin and got back to solid ground, that is.

* * *

**Another surprise: there will be at least two follow ups to this snippet! Wheeeee!**


	12. Surprise II

Obi-Wan followed the mechanical voices deeper into the bowels of the facility. He had never been prone to claustrophobia before, but this place was sorely testing even his limits. Deep underground, the place had once been a bustling factory churning out droid after droid for all services and purposes.

Until Baktoid Armor bought it out and dismantled the entire operation. Now it was being used as a base for the Separatists, according to reports from Republic-friendly sources. Obi-Wan had volunteered to gather intel on the place, without Anakin; his former Padawan was still too reckless to handle missions that required more subtlety than force of arms.

He was especially thankful that he'd taken the mission solo when he rounded a corner into an open cavern of metal-laced rock.

The glow of holoimages and computer screens filled the makeshift room so that everything was cast in an eerie shade of blue. Seven battle droids, three super battle droids, and two vultures encompassed the room in a wide circle around a holoprojector that displayed a large starmap. Several areas were dotted with red while others were colored with blue; presumably, these were worlds controlled by the Separatists and the Republic, respectively.

And in the center of the projection, slowly pacing around and through the digital stars with dangerous grace, was Asajj Ventress. Obi-Wan instinctively ducked his head upon seeing her and dampened his presence in the Force in case she felt him there. His hand went to his lightsaber as an added precaution.

She was silent as she observed the map around her, one hand on one of her lightsabers at her hip, her thumb caressing the hilt as if itching to ignite it. Her other arm was around her waist with an almost lazy boredom. But he could see the glint in her eyes through the projection: she was anything but lazy or bored. She was studying, calculating, thinking.

Obi-Wan had thought for a long time on their last meeting. _You're not worth my time,_ she had said. Every time they had met in battle before had proven the exact opposite of those words. Where had this newfound attitude of indifference come from? He didn't allow himself to think on why it bothered him so much. Instead, he simply watched and waited.

Minutes became hours and still she hadn't noticed him in the shadows. The droids moved only rarely, some relaying messages from distant places and worlds to their commander. Ventress hadn't said a word. In fact, she seemed to be completely oblivious to the droids. At some point she had even lost interest in the starmap and seemed to retreat into herself as she paced. Obi-Wan in turn had begun to ignore the droids in favor of focusing on Ventress. She still moved with inherent lithe grace, still exuded a cold strength in both body and gaze.

So what had happened before their battle on her ship to make her change so drastically? Where she had once been akin to a raging fire now she seemed more like ice, ready to break and draw blood with the shards if provoked. And he did miss trading barbs with her between slashes and parries.

"Commander," a yellow-striped droid said suddenly. "BD-OneOneSixFive reports that a Republic starfighter has been spotted in a nearby cave." Obi-Wan froze, not daring to draw too deep a breath. "Its design and markings are similar to that of the ship belonging to the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Now Asajj froze, one foot still raised mid-step. She turned to the droid, away from a still-hidden Obi-Wan. He couldn't see her face, but judging by the sudden stiffening of her back and the slowness with which she turned her head she wasn't too happy with the news. "Can OneOneSixFive confirm this?" The sound of her voice, unusually calm and cold even for her, sent a tingle down his spine to form an unpleasant weight in the hollow of his chest.

The droid responded by punching a series of buttons on the computer console nearest to it. An image of the starfighter came into view on the screen. Obi-Wan grinned as he saw R4 fending off a dimwitted battle droid with electric shocks whenever it came too close. "This is as close as OneOneSixFive can get, Commander. The astromech is defending the ship."

Ventress stepped from the field of holographic stars, which disappeared as soon as she was out of range of the motion sensor, to get a closer look at the monitor. "That's Kenobi's ship," she whispered, the words echoing off the stone and manufactured steel.

"Should we destroy the fighter, Commander?"

Ventress didn't answer immediately. Obi-Wan hoped against hope that he would still have a transport to get back to before R4 was overpowered or destroyed. The other droids, the vultures especially, seemed to come to life at the prospect of having something to do. They all locked their photoreceptors on Ventress. "No," she finally said. "Order OneOneSixFive back to base. All of you" - she turned sharply to address every droid, her hand still lightly gripping her lightsaber - "locate General Kenobi, but do not engage. Your mission is to search and contain, nothing more. Am I understood?"

"Uh, Commander?" The sergeant droid took a step towards her. "It's just one Jedi. We can easily take him-"

Whatever the sergeant had been about to say was abruptly cut off when its head went spinning through the air before hitting the ground with a ringing _thud_. Its body quickly followed, collapsing on itself into a crumpled heap. Even Obi-Wan was surprised by the sudden violent reaction to the droid's bravado.

Ventress lowered her lightsaber but didn't deactivate it. Her eyes blazed with a familiar fire as she straightened to her full height, the remaining droids falling back in a programmed instinct of self-preservation. _There's the Ventress I know,_ Obi-Wan thought wryly. "Make no mistake," she continued. "One Jedi is more than a match for any of you. But Kenobi is especially dangerous. I will tolerate no disrespect to his strength and skill. To insult him is to insult me. Am I _fully _understood?"

"Yes, mistress," came the monotonous, simultaneous reply.

"Now go."

The droids dispersed quickly lest they incur their commander's further wrath and share the fate of their former sergeant. Ventress remained standing, oblivious to her unseen audience.

For the second time in as many meetings, Obi-Wan was shocked into immobility. First, she had declared him unworthy of her attention. Now, she beheaded a droid for daring to insinuate that he would fall to them. And not only that, but she had taken it as a personal offense.

_Was I slipped some kind of hallucinogenic drug in my tea this morning?_

Before he could think on the bizarre developments further his attention was wrenched back to the present by a heavy sigh. Thinking herself alone, Ventress had let her defenses drop. Her body sagged ever so slightly and her head dropped. If he didn't know her better, Obi-Wan would have sworn to the stars and back that she looked almost...sad. She raised a hand level to her chest. It trembled.

The sensation was swift and fleeting, but for just an instant Obi-Wan wanted to go to her. Seeing her look so close to broken now when only moments ago she was a pillar of the hardest ore sparked something deep in his chest. He desperately wanted to know what had happened to her to make her this way. Was she possibly having second thoughts about her role in the ongoing bloodshed that ravaged the galaxy? The thought was almost laughable; whatever seemed too good to be true usually was.

But that didn't stop him from hoping...

Ventress clenched the trembling hand into a fist before dropping it back to her side. Her back straightened, her shoulders squared, and her eyes became cutting gemstones again. When she stalked from the room, every inch the exquisite predator he recognized, she was once more Asajj Ventress, fearsome and deadly assassin of the Sith.

But now Obi-Wan saw something else: beneath her ferocity and rage, the girl she once was was trying to resurface. He wouldn't insult her by using that information as a weapon, but one way or another he would help her reclaim her life before Dooku, before the war, before her heart had been irrevocably shattered by pain and loss.

If she didn't take his head for his efforts, that is.


	13. Hello There

"Listen up, guys. I'm gonna make this short and sweet." Captain Mason never was one for small talk, even when he wasn't in uniform. His subordinates had come to expect that from him, so none took offense when he strode into the briefing room and got right to business. "The Heinz-Baller Fashion Show is tonight and we've got word that one of the models has been the target of a stalker." Some officers leaned forward at the word 'models'; others tried to suppress their groans of irritation. Of all the crime running rampant on the streets they were being reassigned to play babysitter to some spoiled model? None dared voice their opinions to the captain, however. "We've been asked by the show's organizers to provide some extra protection for their models in the likely possibility that this hump shows up to start trouble."

"No offense, cap," one of the men ventured, "but what makes them so sure this creep is even going to show up?"

Mason fixed the officer, Calhoun, with a withering stare. "Probably the fact that this guy has shown up at every event this model has attended and every time has escalated when he was barred from seeing her." Moving to the main computer, Mason pulled up a photo of the alleged stalker. "Stanley Parks." Relatively slim and just under six feet, Parks had a plain, boring countenance that would have easily been overlooked on the street. But one officer in particular noted the coldness in his dark eyes. Those were the eyes of someone capable of anything if pushed far enough.

"Arrested twice for trespassing," Mason continued, "once for verbal assault, each time at previous shows where this woman, Anyanka Vadas-" a photo of the woman appeared on the right beside Parks's mugshot "-was a featured model. The last time he was caught with a carpenter's awl in his pocket." Silence. "The man's an IT guy. Her handlers aren't taking any chances this time around, and neither are we since this show will be open to the public."

Mason continued the briefing, but the officer who had discerned Parks's borderline sociopathy had involuntarily tuned him out as soon as the model's photo went up on the screen. He was sure he'd never seen her before (he wasn't a magazine kind of guy), but the moment he saw her picture he was overcome with a sense of deja vu.

She was tall and slender like a willow branch, just like all runway models, but what really made her stand out was her shaven and tattooed head, her pale skin, and the fierceness in her light eyes. He had the strangest feeling that she'd never once done a shoot where she was the picture of innocence and sweetness. _It wouldn't suit her,_ came the unbidden thought. Perhaps it was just the leather and metal she was adorned with in the photo that made him think that.

"Kennex!" He jumped at the sound of his name being shouted. "Anything you want to share with the rest of the class?"

Ben suddenly realized that everyone had turned to stare at him. Had he really been that obvious in zoning out? "No sir, Captain."

"Then if you're done oggling the potential victim, I suggest you and your partner get over to the Delmeaux Hotel and keep your eyes open for Parks. That goes for all of you." Mason kept his gaze on Ben for a few moments longer. "And you two change into something that doesn't scream 'cop'."

* * *

Ben Kennex had never felt more out of place in his life. The doors had yet to open to the fashion show, but already the entire hotel was abuzz with frenzied activity. Frazzled dressers and stylists rushed from room to room with exhausted yet hyped-up models following them almost mindlessly. The sound of so much chatter, most of it high-pitched and frantic with the stress of the upcoming show, enveloped Ben to the point of suffocation. He was about to step outside for a moment to regain his bearings when he saw her.

She strode into the hall as if she had all the time in the world. No, that wasn't quite adequate. More like an empress passing through her court of subjects. Those she passed seemed to instinctively lower their voices as if not to offend her with the sound, simultaneously moving aside to create a path for her and the distinguished-looking man at her side. Theirs was a grace that bordered on dangerous, him moving through the throng as if his very presence commanded those in his orbit to heed his wishes without a word being spoken, her looking every inch a goddess among puny mortals.

Ben suddenly found himself somewhere else, a swamp that stank of something unnatural. Out of the mist he saw her. But instead of a model who looked almost bored at having to be in the presence of lesser beings, she was something else entirely. She exuded a coldness that threatened to rip the breath from his lungs and freeze him where he stood. As deadly as he knew she was, he couldn't help but think her exotically beautiful.

The image vanished when a collective gasp rang from the center of the bustling room. A young model, being led by a stagehand and her dresser apparently, had inadvertently crossed Anyanka Vadas's path...and caused the bald woman to drop her coffee cup.

The trio that had caused the spill hastily tried to move out of the way, the younger girl apologizing profusely while remaining oblivious to the fact that her dress was now ruined by the spreading stain on the skirt. Anyanka and her companion (handler? agent? manager?) merely glared at her until she was forcibly dragged away by her handlers. Ben saw Anyanka take a deep breath, presumably to refrain from strangling someone, before resuming her walk. The older man's expression and body language betrayed nothing.

_This_ was the woman who needed additional protection? Every single person in the room seemed terrified of her; she did cut quite an intimidating figure. Hell, even he felt taken aback by her even from this distance. _Just as I remember you, darling._

…

Where the _hell_ had that thought come from? He'd never met her before, never had a reason to even know her name until this morning.

Ben quickly shook his head clear and tried to focus on the job at hand. He almost succeeded...until he saw her looking at him. Her companion had disappeared, yet somehow without him at her side she seemed even more untouchable and otherworldly. At first she had simply been observing him, but when he saw her eyes widen slightly and her dark lips turn up in a sensual smirk he knew something had sparked between them. His theory was confirmed when she crooked a long, slender finger at him and turned down the hallway where guest and banquet rooms had been turned into dressing rooms for the event.

He had to swallow the lump in his throat before speaking into the tiny transceiver clipped to his undershirt. "All clear on the floor. I'm going to double check the back exits."

"You sure you're not just getting distracted by all the beautiful women, Ben?"

He allowed himself a grin. His partner for over ten years, Andy always took an opportunity to rib him about his lack of a love life. Being assigned to a security detail surrounded by drop-dead gorgeous models must have been a dream come true in terms of ammunition for the younger officer. "I could very easily say the same thing about you, Andy."

"Hey, I'm a happily married man. I might look, but Padme's the only one able to distract me like that."

"I neither needed nor wanted to know that. Just keep an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious."

"Yeah, yeah."

Moments later Ben found himself standing outside the room where Anyanka had disappeared to. Aides, stylists, and all manner of people milled around the doorway, effectively blocking both his view and his path. "Out." That one word, brimming with power and force, silenced the errant chatter and turned the bustling crowd into a stream that poured out into the hallway. "Not you," the lone occupant said once the room had cleared. Ben peered in and saw those piercing eyes staring at him in the reflection of the desk mirror. His breath caught in his throat. "Close the door behind you. I don't bite...unless you want me to." His hand on the doorknob almost slipped at those words, at the unmistakable heat in her tone. She stood from the chair and tuned to face him fully, putting her whole body on display as she leaned back on the desk. "There were times when you thoroughly enjoyed my more vicious side, darling. Remember?"

"I don't-"

The flashes came like bolts of lightning, without warning, quicker than conscious thought, and just as immobilizing.

"_You've improved, my dear," he said with a smile as he dodged a streak of sizzling red light. "Have you had a chance to reconsider my offer?"_

_She returned his smile while blocking his descending blue blade with a cross of her own. "I have, Kenobi. But the question is-" she unlocked their blades and pressed herself against him, making their weapons useless "-do you really want me to be one of the good guys?"_

_He found it difficult to reply with his lips taken prisoner by hers. Rather than let her take the lead this time, he cupped the back of her head with his free hand and held her in place as his tongue swept into her mouth. He relished the gasp the move wrenched from her. He may have been her willing hostage, but he could turn the tables whenever he wanted. Now that she knew that, he had a feeling their strange relationship would take on a more dangerous air. Excitement bubbled in his chest at the thought. _

"_When you put it that way," he breathed when they finally pulled apart, "'good' can be dreadfully boring sometimes."_

_..._

_The sun had just begun to set behind the trees, but neither of them was in any hurry to move. Their respective masters would be expecting them soon, but all they cared about was the feel of heated flesh beneath their fingers and demanding yet tender kisses trailing down their necks. He tightened his embrace around her when she shifted to get more comfortable on top of him. "I wonder how angry your duchess would be if I kept you captive here all night," she whispered against his chest, continuing her line of wet kisses down his suddenly sensitive skin. _

"_Not as angry as your master would be if he discovered you missing for so long, I'd wager." The last word degenerated into a low moan when her nails raked down his chest, her lips turning up in a satisfied grin at the sound. _

"_I can't argue with that. Unlike you, however, I can be a pretty convincing liar when the need arises, my dear." He allowed her to lace her fingers with his and pin his hand to the soft grass beside his head. "I can simply explain how I was captured by you and your friends-" she almost spat out the word, but kept most of her hostility toward his fellow knights at bay "-and only just escaped. I do have the marks to prove something of the sort." She drew his captured hand down her side to drift over the fresh bruises he'd inadvertently given her during their clandestine rendezvous; he felt his face burn in simultaneous shame and desire as their hands traced the blemishes. "And dusk is still young," she continued in a heated whisper in his ear. "I'm not averse to adding to my collection."_

_He groaned again before rolling them over. The clang of metal rang like a bell in the silence of the glen. She laughed while he shoved the discarded armor aside to avoid a potentially embarrassing (and painful) situation. Once that was done, he happily returned to her strong arms and searing kisses as the harsh sunlight gave way to the softness of the moon's glow._

_..._

_Usually the odds of winning a fight against a gun with a sword were slim to none. But he'd had ample practice in deflecting and dodging bullets to be beaten so easily by such an, in his view, uncivilized weapon. "You will not win this round, my sweet," he taunted. He knew he risked his life by baiting her, but it was all part of the game they played. "You would do well to surrender now and spare us both the indignity of killing each other."_

_A bullet whizzed past his ear with deafening force in response. Plaster exploded in front of him where it lodged in the wall. "I have a better idea," his opponent said, her tone low and naturally sultry; the darkness of the parking structure in which they dueled only intensified the heat in her voice. He fought down a shiver that threatened to race down his spine at the sound. "Why don't _you _surrender and spare _me_ the indignity of having to listen to your condescension another second?"_

_His hand moved almost without thinking; the barrel of her pistol rounded the pillar he'd taken cover behind and the flat of his blade pinned the gun to the stone. The shock in her eyes for that split second made him smile. "Ouch. You wound my pride, my darling."_

"_I'll wound more than that." She squeezed off another round, more to distract than actually harm. She then flipped herself backwards, kicking his sword away. When she righted herself, her right arm was extended towards him, gun aimed right for his heart. _

_Her lips turned up in a triumphant grin._

_She pulled the trigger._

_Silence._

"_I do believe you've run out of bullets, my dear."_

_She tossed the now-useless weapon aside, her expression one of the most intense fury he'd ever seen, and drew her own blade: a curved scimitar to his straight rapier. She always did have a liking for things with an exotic flair. "But not out of weapons, darling."_

_Another exchange of smiles, both sharing a not-so-subtle undercurrent of glee, and they clashed again._

Ben came back to himself with a near-physical _snap_. He fell back against the door, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his suddenly absent breath. A sharp pain had blossomed at his temples. The light in the room was suddenly too bright. A rushing sound like the crash of waves on a shore filled his ears.

All at once and as quickly as the sensations had come they disappeared. In their place was a sense of wholeness and peace he'd never felt before. He remembered everything. Memories he had lived so long ago filed themselves into his brain like puzzle pieces long-thought missing finally discovered. He'd never felt like his life had been incomplete, but now he wondered how he could have ever felt fulfilled without remembering what he did now.

And through it all, Anyanka watched him. One look at those pale, cutting eyes and he knew that she remembered as well. Dozens of lifetimes all lived and ended over the course of thousands of years, in scores of different places, always with them on opposite sides but coming together out of mutual respect and primal attraction. The universe truly did have a warped sense of humor.

"Well," he said at length. His voice sounded at once strange yet familiar to his ears. "It appears that we're destined to do this dance for all eternity, doesn't it, my sweet?"

Anyanka smirked at him, pushing away from the desk and sauntering to him. Even her walk was the same as he now remembered; the sway of her hips, the way she seemed to glide more than walk, the barely contained sensuality. God, she was still so enticing. "Apparently so." She stopped less than one full step from him. He could feel the heat emanating from her, smell the spice of her perfume. She lifted a hand to trace the part of his shirt collar not concealed by his jacket, her fingers tantalizingly close to his throat. The sensitive skin there tingled in anticipation. Whether from apprehension or something more inappropriate he couldn't readily say. He drew in a sharp breath when she leaned closer to whisper her next words against his lips: "But I can say I've never had a more _exquisite_ dance partner."

Ben tried to keep his voice steady, suddenly thankful he'd turned his microphone off before following this tempting goddess when she beckoned; Andy would never let him live this down if he heard. "I wholeheartedly agree."

She smiled. "Good to know we finally agree on something..._Kenobi._"

He was positive she was about to pull him down for a burning, promise-filled kiss...if not for the door bursting open and slamming into his back. They were both taken by surprise, neither moreso than the startled stagehand frozen in the hallway. "I'm so sorry," she said quickly. "I don't mean to interrupt..."

Anyanka (_Asajj_), still lacking in patience after so many lifetimes, almost growled at the young woman. "Out with it," she said shortly, her hand idly caressing Ben's forearm. Now that they no longer had to fear punishment or ostracization for their peculiar relationship she seemed eager to catch up on any and all lost moments. Or perhaps she simply didn't care what anyone thought of her attraction to him anymore. Or both. Ben couldn't help but smile to himself at the thought.

"We're about to start the show, Ms. Vadas. Mr. Douglas has a last-minute change: he wants you to start off with the Gaultier instead of the Flickering Star." The girl's eyes darted between officer and model, clearly wanting to ask but terrified to do so. Ben felt a little sorry for her.

Anyanka sighed dramatically. "Fine. Whatever milord desires." If there was any question if that was the end of the conversation, the door closing in the stagehand's face answered it. Her arms wrapped around his neck while his instinctively went around her waist. "Duty calls, officer. I do so hope that you enjoy the show."

Now came the kiss he'd expected earlier, hotter and more demanding than any he remembered receiving in this life. She controlled it, of course, but he gladly followed her lead. Although she wasn't at all gentle, the overwhelming feeling of 'coming home' was so strong it nearly knocked him off his feet.

This was right.

This was destiny.

This was achingly _perfect. _

And over all too soon. The door opened again and two dressers carrying armloads of clothing halted in their tracks at the sight in front of them. Neither said anything, but their shock was palpable. Ben quickly backed away from his eternal rival, his eternal lover, at the intrusion; he wasn't ashamed of being seen with her, but he had always held that such passion and intimacy were private things. Their attraction wasn't a show for strangers. Plus, he was still on duty. His captain would have his head if he knew he was engaging in such a manner with the person he was meant to protect.

Anyanka sighed again, more playfully this time. "Again, duty calls, my dear." The dressers decided they'd rather keep their lives than dare to question what they'd just seen, so they went right to work pulling the first outfits she would be wearing on the runway, pointedly ignoring her visitor. Anyanka in turn ignored them. "I hope you'll stick around after the show so we can finish our _conversation_."

If that one sentence robbed him of breath, his mind was robbed of thought when she turned and dropped her thin robe. The last thing he saw before being unceremoniously ushered out of the room was the pale expanse of her back and the tantalizing curve of her hip. _Still a cruel tease after all this time, Asajj._

* * *

Ben tried to focus on the crowd and the perimeter instead of the runway. Parks wouldn't miss an opportunity to infiltrate the event to try to get close to the object of his obsession. Ben had no doubt that Anyanka could handle herself if their past lives were anything to go by, but his job was to make sure it didn't come to that if he could help it. He wouldn't be much of a cop if he couldn't keep his attention on his oath to serve and protect. Not only was Parks a potential threat to Anyanka but also to the bystanders. If Parks had escalated to violence, there was no telling what lengths he would go to get what he wanted.

"Andy," Ben said into his microphone as discreetly as possible. "Any sign of Parks on your end?"

"Nada. The doors were locked twenty minutes ago. If he had any plans to make an appearance he's either out of luck or already inside."

"And no one matched his description upon check-in?"

"Nope. Not a one." He could almost feel the frustration in the younger man's voice. Nothing got under his skin more than being stymied by some hump. "If this whole thing turns out to be a bust I'm gonna demand overtime."

"No you're not."

"Okay, then a round of drinks at the bar on the precinct's dime."

Ben shook his head. "Yeah, you go ahead and submit that paperwork to Mason. See how long you still have a job."

The audience remained oblivious to everything not strutting down the runway. Camera bulbs flashed, TV cameras panned across the stage as the models walked out, reporters updated their Twitter feeds and posted to websites. Ben didn't have much experience with scenes like this, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All attention was riveted on the stage. Except that of one person.

Ben found himself caught in the stare of the older man he'd seen with Anyanka earlier in the evening. Those cold blue eyes reminded him first of a serpent's, then another person he'd tangled with in the distant past. The name _Dooku _swept through his brain. That was the man who had helped lead the world, the _galaxy_, into darkness so very long ago. He had also had near-complete power over Anyanka...Asajj. She had adored him as her teacher, a surrogate father or grandfather...until he had betrayed her loyalty and left her for dead. And now here he was as Mr. Douglas, still lording over her, still possessing that same icy gaze and demeanor.

Ben wondered if Douglas was aware of that life as he and Anyanka now were. The one-sided smile and slight tilt of the older man's head answered that question as surely as a verbal confirmation. But they weren't enemies now (yet). He returned the nod, the acknowledgment, feeling the gravity of the gesture in the depths of his soul.

Douglas's gaze left Ben's as a tremor went through the crowd. Anyanka had stepped onto the runway. Ben's breath once again abandoned him as she strode down the stage. Just like in the photo he'd seen in the squad room, she was once again clothed in black leather that gave way at times to reveal unnaturally white flesh in choice locations. The style wasn't really to his taste, but the raw, brutal sexuality she exuded was flawless.

The audience thought the same thing, apparently; several people rose from their seats to get a better view. The flash of camera lights turned from merely annoying to nearly blinding. Reporters making auditory notes stumbled over their words. Only Douglas and Anyanka looked unaffected by the surge of energy, even bored.

She had reached the end of the walkway, a warrior goddess come to earth, when it happened.

Amid the commotion her appearance stirred, no one noticed the one person pressing forward. Not until he broke from the crowd and launched himself onto the stage.

Ben's hand went for his gun hidden beneath his jacket. "Andy! He's at the stage!"

"I see him! Unis are on their way."

Ben lost sight of Parks and Anyanka for a split second when the rest of the audience stood in impotent shock. He shoved his way through them, gun muzzle pointed at the floor to avoid an accidental discharge. By the time he too broke from the panicked throng he caught only a glimpse of the stalker and his victim as he dragged her backstage. Ben's blood race through his veins when he saw the glint of a butterfly knife held to her throat.

Andy met up with him behind the curtain, his own gun drawn and his face edged with determination. They followed the directions given by frightened stagehands and assistants to the hallway where the dressing rooms were quickly being abandoned by half-dressed women and their entourages. They trailed their targets to a closed door, locked from the inside. Ben pressed his ear against the wood. Nothing.

In the space of an instant, he and Andy had an entire plan of attack formulated without a single word being spoken. Of course they would; they had known each other better than brothers for millennia. Death and rebirth wouldn't change that bond in the slightest, even if one remained oblivious to his own history as of yet.

"Stanley, we're the police," Ben called out. "You can make this a lot easier on yourself by letting Ms. Vadas go and surrendering yourself."

Silence. "You've only got this one chance, Parks," Andy added. "You'd better take it before you do something really stupid."

A pause, then a muffled shout. A heavy thud. Panic began to work its way into Ben's chest at the sounds. He stepped back to kick the door down...

A slight click. The door was unlocked.

"You can come in now, darling."

He and Andy exchanged a look before the latter cautiously turned the doorknob. Andy cleared the corner first, Ben following. Stanley Parks lay on the floor in a swiftly growing pool of blood. Now it was clear why he hadn't been recognized at the door of the event: where his mugshot had shown him to have shoulder-length brown hair and dark brown eyes, the man on the floor had closely-cropped red hair and green eyes hidden behind glasses. A shave hadn't hurt his attempt at transformation either. But it was the overall shape of his face, nose, and mouth that identified him as Parks.

The butterfly knife Ben had glimpsed during the abduction had found a new home in Parks's throat. Andy knelt down to feel for a pulse; he shook his head.

And in the center of it all, Anyanka was calmly straightening her borrowed clothing and brushing it free of imaginary dust. He didn't need to ask what had happened; the story was plain as day on her lovely face. He would have a mountain of paperwork to fill out later, but all that mattered right now was that she was safe and the threat had been neutralized...even if it was done in a less than legal manner.

"Good to know I can still take care of myself," she whispered.

"We're clear in here," Andy called out to the unis who had stationed themselves just outside the door. He turned to Anyanka, a curious look passing over his face when he met her eyes. Ben wondered if he suddenly remembered her from their time during the Clone War. It disappeared in a flash, replaced with dispassionate concern and professionalism. "Are you alright, Ms. Vadas?"

"Perfectly." No remorse, not the slightest ounce of discomfort at having just killed a man. If he didn't know her the way he did he'd have been disturbed at that. As it was, as terrible as any wasted life was it was perfectly understandable.

"Would you care to explain what happened?"

Before she could utter a word, another voice cut through the air, sharper than any knife. "Not without our lawyer present." Douglas casually pushed his way into the room as Parks's body was being hauled out. "Forgive me, gentlemen, but this has been quite a shock for Anyanka." He shouldered past Ben and Andy to place a hand on Anyanka's arm; Ben didn't miss the strained smile she gave him at the gesture. "Are you alright, child?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It all happened so quickly." Now came the act for the curious onlookers that had gathered outside the door. "He kept saying how if he couldn't have me, no one would. That we were soulmates or something. He was crazy. I just grabbed the knife and..."

"Hush, child," Douglas interrupted. "Don't say another word until I appraise Saxon of the situation." He turned to Ben and Andy, his gaze just as cold and calculating as Anyanka's was moments ago. "I trust that you understand the extreme circumstances here, gentlemen. This was clearly self-defense."

Ben spoke first before Andy could say something to ruffle Douglas's very influential and powerful feathers. "We understand that, sir. We will still have to hand this case over to our detectives and let them and the ADA make the final determination. All part of the legal process, I assure you."

"Then unless you intend to arrest Ms. Vadas right here and now for defending her own life, I believe we are done here."

"Not quite," Andy said, stepping between the older man and the door. "She'll still have to come down to the station and make a statement. Then she can go home."

Her lips didn't move, but Ben clearly saw the smirk in her eyes at those words. _Ever the same, aren't you, darling? _"Of course, officer. Anything to put this horrible mess behind me as quickly as possible."

Although he wasn't entirely satisfied, Andy accepted her answer and turned to leave so the CSU could move in. Douglas followed suit with a pointed look at Anyanka. As soon as they were out of sight, her mask dropped. "Would you mind escorting me home, officer?" she breathed, just loud enough so only Ben could hear. "I fear the excitement has left me too rattled to drive."

He felt his mouth turn up in a tiny smile at the playfulness in her tone. "Don't you have your own chauffeur?"

"Not one that can keep me safe like you can," she pouted, all drama and exaggeration. But there was a definite heat in her voice that not even the most oblivious person could miss. "After all, I am just a model, not a fighter. My job is to look pretty. Yours is to protect defenseless citizens like me."

He almost laughed. Somehow he didn't think the CSU team would appreciate it, though. "Well, when you put it that way..."

He did indeed have a stack of paperwork to prepare the next morning, but he didn't mind. He was happy so long as no one asked where he had disappeared to after the show was abruptly canceled, or noticed why he flinched whenever a fellow officer patted him on the back right where newly-earned scratches were just beginning to heal, or questioned the darkening mark on his neck just below his collar.

Now all he needed was to make it through the day so he could return to the arms he'd been destined to fall into time and again. Although he was constantly surrounded by death on a daily basis, knowing that he had been gifted with several lifetimes with the same fiery, impossible, and entrancing woman at his side made the idea of dying suddenly seem not so frightening.

Ben allowed himself a private smile and returned to his work.

* * *

**Not my best, but I liked the idea of Asajj being a fierce model and Obi-Wan a cop along with the idea of constant reincarnation.**

**A couple notes on the names: Kennex I liked because it's the name of my babbu in _Almost Human_ (such a great show). Anyanka is also a real name (along with the name of a character in _Buffy: The Vampire Slayer_ who is like the patron saint of scorned women), and Vadas is Hungarian and means "wild animal". I thought them both fitting for Asajj.**

**Also, I want to give a shout out to mah girl Ylysha, who goes by north-star-flickering on Tumblr. Recently she's been sharing some of her fashion designs, including one she made for me for Asajj. Hence the made-up fashion brand Flickering Star. Gaultier is, of course, Jean-Paul Gaultier, the guy who did the costumes for _The Fifth Element_.**

**Annnnd that about does it!**


	14. Surprise III

This fight was their most deadly yet. Obi-Wan's skills with both his lightsaber and the Force were being sorely tested; he was suddenly, painfully reminded of his first and only encounter with Dooku. Ventress had become like a mirror image of the fallen Jedi, mastering his techniques and putting her own touches on them. She had always been proficient in the Jar'Kai style, but now she was a master. Not even Obi-Wan's mastery of Soresu could completely counter her vicious attacks; he'd had to improvise more than once just to keep all his limbs in place.

Once again, there was no exchange of "pleasantries", no playful banter. As soon as she spotted him she had launched into a flurry of slashes, blocking his counterattacks and brushing his blade aside almost casually. The red blur of her lightsabers blinded him. She warped the Force around him to the point where he could only barely distinguish his own signature. She was merciless, completely focused on claiming his head.

Wasn't she? He knew of at least two opportunities during their battle that she could have pressed her advantage and at least nicked him. But she didn't. Why?

Once the Jedi understood that she was no longer playing, he put aside his disbelief and called on the Force to keep her blades at bay.

Despite the preternatural endurance and stamina ingrained in them by their respective training, both combatants were beginning to tire. Obi-Wan felt sweat coat the back of his neck and trickle down between his shoulder blades. His arms burned from the effort, but he pushed on. Letting this match end in a stalemate wasn't an option, nor was defeat. He had to end this...somehow.

The Force was with him for a moment; a well-timed sweep of his lightsaber flung one of hers into the shadows. He didn't dare take even a second to celebrate the small victory, not as dangerous as Ventress had become. He kept blocking, kept defending, moving to the offensive whenever he could (which wasn't often or for long).

It was when she attempted to knock his legs out from under him that he saw his chance: he used the split second she needed to recover from the kick to lock his arm around her neck. He felt her start in shock...which quickly turned to anger at being pinned. Her elbow slammed into his ribcage and forced the air from his lungs. He released her on reflex, but once more the Force was with him.

Her shock lasted one microsecond too long and she found herself without a weapon and staring down a bright blue sword that by all rights could pierce her heart if she so much as twitched. She didn't move except to catch her breath from the exertion.

Obi-Wan was about to offer her the chance to surrender once and for all, but something in her eyes stopped him. It wasn't just the tears he saw brimming. It wasn't the pure hatred that shone from them. It was the fact that that hatred wasn't directed entirely at him, and the fact that unfathomable grief was mixed in with the burning rage. They paused, both for different reasons.

"Come on, Kenobi," she snarled. "Claim your prize and be done with it."

Obi-Wan cocked his head at her, his lightsaber still aimed at her chest. "This isn't a game, my darling. I'm giving you the chance to do the right thing."

"And just what do you think I'm doing, Kenobi?!" He almost took a step back at the fury in her voice. She saw the move and stepped forward. "I've been defeated in fair combat. Now finish it!"

Now he understood. Those times before when he'd wondered at her change in behavior, when her ferocity underlain with the joy of sparring had given way to cold, single-minded determination, when her hands had trembled when she thought no one could see. His initial thought back in the cave factory had been correct: she _was_ ready to end her involvement in this war. He just didn't imagine she would go so far to do it.

"I have finished it," he said softly. "What happens next is up to you."

She loosed a violent exhale in response. "Why do you insist on giving me second chances?" She ran a hand over her smooth head in frustration. "For once stop being a bleeding heart and do what you should have done years ago."

He lowered his blade when she took another step towards it. A cold weight descended on his heart. "What happened to you, darling?" She flinched. "What's Dooku done to you?"

"What makes you think he has anything to do with this? In case it's escaped your notice, I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions."

Now he was really worried. "But not like this. This isn't you, Asajj."

She flinched again; it was the first time he'd ever called her by her first name. "And what would you know about me, Kenobi?" He was sure she'd meant the question to be dripping in sarcasm, but to his ears it just sounded tired.

"Probably more than you're comfortable with. You don't have to do this anymore. You're misguided, not evil, Asajj." She was suddenly very close; had she moved, or had he? "Come with me. Leave the Sith behind. Only then can you begin to heal."

It was clear in her eyes that his words had hit a nerve. But she wouldn't give in without one last obstinate refusal to see the truth the way he did. "Why do you have to be so stubborn? Why won't you just give up on me?"

Obi-Wan gave her a rueful smile. His right hand came up to stroke her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Because I have faith in you, my dear."

Her eyes went wide for the briefest of moments before closing in defeat; the tears she'd been holding back finally fell. Obi-Wan's heart went out to her at the sight of them. When she opened her eyes, the fire that he'd come to associate with her was back, flickering and weak, but definitely there. "Then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought."

The attack that followed was so unexpected it stole his breath.

Before he could even process the movement, Obi-Wan found himself at the mercy of her arms around his neck and her lips on his. His first instinct was to pull back, but a pop of something sharp and hot in his chest made that instinct little more than a distant memory. His arms seemed to move of their accord, wrapping her in a gentle embrace in contrast to the hungry and almost violent way she moved against him.

Obi-Wan tried to keep his thoughts together, to maintain some semblance of composure in the face of her passion. He managed...for less than a second. The instant the tip of her tongue tentatively touched his lips his mind turned to a hazy mess. The sigh she loosed against his mouth when he parted his lips drew one of his own from deep in his chest. He should have stopped this, should have reasserted his control, should have done something to beat back the fire that had ignited in his body.

The touch of her hand on his jaw burned all of those thoughts from his head.

He didn't know when his feet had started moving; the next thing he was aware of besides the press of her lips and body against him was the resistance when her back met a durasteel pillar, one of many in the warehouse. The contact seemed to spur her on, her kiss growing more frenzied and demanding with each passing second. His mind screamed at him to stop, that everything about this went against not only his training but the very oaths he had taken to the Jedi Order upon becoming knighted.

So why did this kiss, as hot and dangerous as it was, feel...right? Wouldn't the Force have screamed at him if it wasn't?

The only reason he pulled away (aside from the need to breathe) was the sudden, pained gasp that spilled from her lips. His hand had fallen to her hip and squeezed when she had buried her fingers in his sweat-dampened hair. His brow knitted in worried confusion as he looked at her, her face hurriedly wiping itself blank. He quickly determined the reason behind the near-scream and removed his hand from her side. She took hold of his wrist when he started to raise the hem of her shirt, but hesitantly released it when he met her eyes.

The sight that met him when he lifted the material startled him into immobility. A huge blotch of black, blue, and purple covered her pale skin from the inward curve of her waist to disappear below her skirt. Obi-Wan stared at it in horror. This wasn't his work; as vicious as their bouts became, he'd never come close to causing this kind of damage. He gently touched the edge of the blasphemous mark, quickly pulling back when she flinched. "By the Force, what happened?" he whispered.

Asajj tried to pull her shirt back down, looking at anything but the Jedi looking at her with blatant concern, but Obi-Wan wasn't done with his inspection. When she spoke her voice was barely above a whisper. "A little gift courtesy of Dooku's new training partner. A droid designed to inflict maximum damage without breaking skin. An assassin leaving a trail of blood to a target is less than useless."

"Oh, my dear," he sighed, carefully raising one of her hands to his lips for a compassionate kiss. "Why won't you just come with me? You'll be given sanctuary in the Jedi Temple. We can protect you there." He kept going when she started shaking her head. "I won't allow Dooku or Grievous or anyone to get to you. Just come with me."

Asajj's lips turned up in a frustrated smile. "You still don't get it, do you. There's only one way out of this." She closed her fingers around the wrist of the hand that still held his lightsaber and raised it to her chest. She pressed the currently deactivated hilt right over her heart. Obi-Wan tried to wrench it away but she held firm. "And it's not by just walking away."

"There's always another way, Asajj. Don't make a mistake you can't undo." He finally freed himself from her grip and pointed his lightsaber in a safer direction.

She seemed to sag a little in his arms, only the pillar at her back keeping her upright. "You mean unlike everything else I've done in my life?"

It was in those words, in her forcefully light tone, that he heard the slightest bit of hope return to her voice. He felt the desperation to believe that she had another option to escape the blood-soaked life she had fallen into. That tiny ember of hope in turn gave him hope. He almost smiled at her...

Until she went as stiff as a durasteel beam and flung herself from the circle of his arms. The thrum of a lightsaber cut through the silence of the room that had only moments before been broken by unexpected passion and a plea. Obi-Wan muttered a curse under his breath; he'd been so focused on Asajj (and pulling his errant self-control back into check) that he hadn't noticed Anakin enter the room.

"Nice job, Master," he said brightly, his stony gaze fixed on Asajj as she retrieved her lightsabers with a Force-pull and commanded them into life. "Now we can take care of the witch and get out of here."

Obi-Wan felt his chest constrict when she glanced at him. Gone was the barely-there softness, the desperate desire for another life. Instead there was the unmistakeable burn of betrayal. "I should have known this was a setup," he heard her whisper to herself. "Should have known..."

"Asajj-" He never got to finish the sentence, nor did Anakin get the chance to launch into an attack. She raised her arms and sent a Force wave at them so powerful it knocked them both from their feet. "Asajj!" He recovered first, meeting her gaze and trying to explain without words that this wasn't what she thought. The hurt emanating from her was palpable. "Please..."

She merely shook her head and fled the room.

A groan to his right took Obi-Wan's attention from the direction she'd run back to Anakin. "Well, that was fun. What do you say we finish it for good, Master."

Obi-Wan didn't miss the glee in his former Padawan's voice. It drove a spike of guilt into his heart. "Anakin..." He sighed. He wasn't in a state to explain what he'd been trying to accomplish, had almost accomplished with Asajj before Anakin had interrupted with his usual brashness. And Anakin certainly wasn't in a mood to listen. "Let's just get back to Coruscant in one piece."

Anakin looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. "What are you talking about? We can catch her!"

"If I know her at all, she's already rigged the place to self-destruct while she's making her escape. She'll turn up again sooner or later."

Anakin tried to continue the argument, but Obi-Wan only half-listened as he bolted for the landing bay where they'd left their starfighters. No sooner had they peeled out did the warehouse indeed go up in a blinding explosion of smoke and fire.

Obi-Wan was less concerned with the destruction behind him than with the way Asajj had looked at him before she ran. He was sure he'd never forget the crushing hurt that she had directed at him.

* * *

**There's one more part to this installment. All is not lost (yet)!**


	15. Surprise IV

"Good, good, younglings. Very good. Fight the flow of the Force, do not. Allow it to flow _through _you. Conduits are we all. Made of more than flesh are we. More than-"

Yoda cut himself off when the first ripple brushed across his consciousness. It was faint, but so attuned was he to the Force that it seemed more like a wave surging towards him, the collective gasp before a torrential storm. The children he was currently instructing in levitating small cubes continued as if nothing was amiss. It wasn't until they noticed his sudden silence that they stopped concentrating and looked up, cubes clattering to the floor.

"Master Yoda," one of them called out. "Are you alright?"

The tiny Master 'hmmm'd. "A disturbance I sense. Sense it, do you?"

Seven young faces scrunched up in more determined concentration as they tried to feel it. None had to wait long.

The muffled _boom _and the shuddering of the Temple walls were enough confirmation.

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu were the first ones at the roof when the ship crashed. Obi-Wan felt his heart sink down to his feet as he recognized the shattered remnants of the fan blade wings. He didn't register the sounds of approaching Jedi behind him, just the rush of blood in his ears as all other sound fell away. Flames were trying to engulf the rest of the ship but he ignored them. He was only vaguely aware of Mace holding back the other Jedi that had come to investigate. All of his focus was fixed on getting the cockpit canopy open.

All the while he kept trying to tell himself that this wasn't her. She was too good a pilot, too skilled with the Force to have crashed like this. Perhaps her ship had been stolen and this was someone else. Yes, that was it. This was a thief who had had the bad luck of not knowing how to pilot the craft he or she had stolen. That made sense.

He threw himself down when the hatch he'd been struggling with suddenly cracked from the intense heat and flew away from the frame of the ship with a sharp _POP._ Smoke poured from the cockpit, along with the sound of someone coughing. A hand shot out to clutch the riveted rim just as he returned to his feet. Although spattered with blood, he recognized those fingers instantly.

Asajj Ventress shakily pulled herself from the choked air inside what remained of her ship. She only made it halfway before doubling over as a series of wet, strangled coughs wrenched themselves from her throat. Obi-Wan could only stare in shocked horror as she struggled to free herself from the wreckage completely.

Scorch marks littered her body beneath torn and singed clothing. Presumably they came from the fried wires, now dangling and sparking inside the ship, that had been damaged during whatever firefight she had been caught in; holes dotted the frame haphazardly, some of them still smoldering a dull red. What really terrified him, however, was the amount of blood that drenched her lower body. He couldn't tell if it was hers or not; the sharp pang in his heart didn't help put his fears at ease.

"Asajj..." He didn't know what to say. So many questions swirled inside his head he didn't know which one to start with.

Her head lifted slightly at the sound of his voice. He half-expected a biting comment, a sarcastic confirmation of who she was. "Get me out of this thing," she said instead. Her voice shook, a rasping weak sound that made his stomach turn into a block of ice. "Now would be nice." At least she still had her wits about her.

Obi-Wan was careful of where he placed his hands around her; he didn't want to aggravate any injuries by being hasty. He froze at the cry she let out when he began to pull her out of the wreckage. He noticed how one arm was locked around her torso. The dread that had started to wrap around his heart at the first sight of the ship now consumed him. "Master Windu!" he found himself shouting.

The Korun was at his side in an instant. His expression betrayed nothing, which Obi-Wan was grateful for. Two sets of hands made the task of pulling her from the mangled remains of her beloved ship much easier, though no less painful for her. Other Masters moved in to contain the blaze as they carried her away from the burning husk. Obi-Wan lowered her to the Temple roof but didn't release her from his hold. Mace simply observed them for a beat then returned to keep curious younglings and knights at bay.

Obi-Wan could now see the full extent of her injuries. Her broken arm was bad enough, but it was the ragged, cauterized hole just below her chest that sent a cold bolt of fear down his spine. His breath quickened as he realized just how close to death she was.

This wasn't how she was meant to die. He was certain of it. She was the kind of person who would go down in a blaze of glory, her twin lightsabers flashing in defiance of fate and whatever enemy would finally pierce her defenses and claim her life. She wouldn't have had it any other way.

Another wet cough, this time followed by a thin stream of red flowing from the corner of her mouth, snapped him out of his thoughts and back to the present. He pressed a hand to the side of her face, his thumb wiping the blasphemous blood away from her lips. The touch seemed to calm her ever so slightly. "Asajj," he said gently, "what happened?"

She met his eyes for the first time. And for the first time, there was no hate in those silver depths. No despair. No fear. She took a deep breath, then another before finding her voice again. "Dooku." It was all that needed saying. But she went on. "He...turned his droids...against me. Tried to..." A wheezing breath rattled through her chest with enough force to shake her entire body. Obi-Wan clutched her closer as if trying to suppress the shudder. "...shoot me out of the sky. T-Took...a few of them...with me." She smiled, or tried to. A new flood of pain stopped her short.

Obi-Wan tried sending a wave of comfort through the Force to ease her. It seemed to work, so he tried again. She visibly relaxed in his arms, though she still had trouble breathing and she still shook as her body began to go into shock. "Why did you come here, darling?" he asked as he carefully shrugged out of his cloak to wrap it around her as best he could.

She smirked, a shadow of her usual playfulness that he'd grown so fond of. "Y-You."

"Me?"

His surprise must have shown on his face. She reached up with her good arm to touch her fingertips to his cheek. "Couldn't leave with-without...a proper...goodbye."

He grasped her hand with more force than he'd intended. "No. This isn't the end. You've still got a few more years left. You're too stubborn."

Her responding smile was at once the most beautiful and sad sight he'd ever seen. Her fingers tightened around his. "Thank you," she said weakly.

Obi-Wan distantly felt the sting of hot tears in his eyes at those two simple words. He nuzzled his cheek against her knuckles. "For what?"

She was fighting to keep her eyes open. The sudden sense of grief that tore at his soul at the sight threatened to override a lifetime of training and everything he'd ever thought about the woman dying in his arms. Even more surprising and heartwrenching than that was a memory he had thought long-buried: that of Qui-Gon Jinn with a lightsaber wound in his abdomen breathing his last in his Padawan's arms. "For n-never giving up...on me. F-For always...being...there..."

Her eyes closed. Her hand went slack in his. Her head fell against his chest.

Obi-Wan felt his throat close up and a weight form deep in his gut. But he could also feel her Force signature. She was still there. Barely.

He wasn't aware of screaming for a healer, nor of Mace and Luminara Unduli prying Asajj's body from his arms and onto a repulsor platform, nor of suddenly finding himself alone on the roof with a handful of Jedi and Padawans staring at him. He stared after the Masters leading Asajj's body away, unconcerned with the questioning looks directed at him by the onlookers as well as the blood that stained his hands and robes.

It was the suddenly very-close presence of another that made him return to the present. Yoda stood to his right, silent and still. Obi-Wan couldn't have looked away from those dark fathomless eyes if an army of Sith had overrun the Temple right then and there. There was a knowing yet non-judgmental expression on the wizened face; it was as if Yoda knew what was going on in Obi-Wan's head that the younger man himself didn't fully comprehend.

Yoda broke eye contact first, a very real sense of finality in his posture as he lowered his head. "Care for her, we will," he said at long last, just loud enough for only Obi-Wan to hear. "Heal her body we will, if allow it she does." Obi-Wan flinched, the memory of his last confrontation with the assassin resurfacing. She had wanted to die then. Did she still want to? He couldn't deny there had been a definite peace around her when she closed her eyes...

He shook his head. He was better than this, had been trained better than this. To form an attachment so deep that the very thought of her dying made him feel sick was not only an affront to the very vows he had made to the Order and to his commitment to the Republic, but to Asajj herself. To want her to cling to a life she no longer wanted was an insult. It was selfish, he knew, but he didn't want to give up the hope that she would eventually find her way back to the Jedi and officially rejoin them as one of the Order's brightest lights.

The beginnings of a migraine stabbed him behind the eyes the more he thought about it all. He covered his eyes with one hand, the one covered in the least amount of blood, and drew in a deep breath. "Yes, Master," he whispered. "Of course."

Obi-Wan didn't see the look Yoda gave him as he began to hobble away. He remained sitting on the cold stone for what felt like hours before he could find the strength to stand. He eventually found his way back inside the Temple, his feet unconsciously leading him to the healing chambers. No matter the outcome, no matter what Asajj's spirit decided, he would see this through to the very end.

* * *

**Is Asajj dead? Is she alive? I don't know! Mwahahahahasobsobsob!**


	16. Discovery 1

Despite the dwindling number of neutral planets in the ongoing conflict, they still managed to find one where they could meet without prying, judgmental eyes. Her deceptively elegant swoop was the first to land, followed closely by his practical and deadly starfighter. No time was wasted on preamble or flirtatious greeting. Two figures rushed to each other in the shadows of the massive trees, one lithe and pale, the other rakish with an air of humble nobility. Her arms wrapped around his neck to hold him close as his encircled her waist. They had been too long without such contact. The warmth of their bodies, hidden beneath thin layers of clothing, coaxed a sigh of contentment from both of them.

"This is our chance," she whispered urgently, pulling back to meet his eyes. "Come with me, Obi-Wan. We can leave all of this behind. No more war, no more hiding. We can leave the galaxy itself."

"We've discussed this, Asajj," he said gently. His fingers closed over one of her hands in an attempt to calm her down. "We can't just leave. Dooku will hunt you down before you can get three systems away, and I can't abandon the Order or the Republic." He stopped her protest with a gloved finger over her lips and a kiss to her palm. "We're so close to ending this blasted war, my darling. It won't be long."

Asajj let out a harsh breath through her nose. "It's been long enough," she huffed. She wanted so badly to make him understand, _had _to make him understand. The battles were growing more vicious with each passing day. Peoples on both sides were growing more restless and more dangerous. "If Dooku and the war profiteers have their way, this war will never end."

Obi-Wan couldn't argue that point. "Nothing draws a conflict out more than when certain people realize war is more profitable than peace."

Asajj took back her hands and combed her fingers from his temples into his hair; she knew how much he liked when she did that. "All the more reason to leave right now!"

"Asajj-"

"Alright," she conceded reluctantly. "Say the war ends tomorrow; it doesn't matter which side wins. I fully renounce my allegiance to the Sith and side with the Republic. We'll still never be able to be together. They won't let us. The Jedi, the patriots, everyone." The weight in her chest and the burn of tears in her eyes forced her to bury her face in his neck. Another sigh escaped her lips when his arms tightened around her; never in her life did she ever feel as safe, as loved, as cared for than in this man's embrace. "No one understands us. Hell, _we _barely understand us. Do you really think we'll be able to keep this up forever?"

"Asajj, listen." He pushed her back just far enough to lock his gaze with hers, his hands going to tenderly cup her face. "I know how you feel. I truly do. I know it's hard, probably harder for you than for me. But we have to hold out for just a little longer. Neither of us can afford to be selfish." She tried to pull away in indignation but his hand on her lower back stopped her. "You know I didn't mean it like that. There's nothing I want more than to be with you. But we both have obligations we must uphold if we're to have any chance."

A curious light came into her pale eyes as a thought crossed her mind. "Would you leave the Jedi for me, Obi-Wan? Or would you follow your Padawan's example and keep a lover on the side?"

He reeled back as if he'd been stuck, "How did you-"

"_Everyone _knows, my dear. Your people are either too afraid or blinded by his 'Chosen One' title to say anything, and mine simply don't care." She sighed again, this time with a heavy finality. "I know how much your Order means to you, and I wouldn't expect you to give that up so easily. But couldn't you still be a Jedi away from the Republic? Is there some law that says you can only be one if you live in the Temple?"

"It's not that simple," he said, though with less conviction than before.

The softening of his tone gave Asajj the incentive to push on. "Only because you're making it more complicated than it needs to be. Take away the armor, the lightsaber, and the crippling devotion to an archaic order and the solution is simple."

Obi-Wan didn't want to admit that she had a point. That much she could see in his eyes, in the way his shoulders sagged so very slightly. In her heart she knew he couldn't (wouldn't) leave the people he knew as family, the place he called home so easily. She would have had the same reservations herself if she'd had either of those things. But her desperation was growing day by day. Dooku was no fool; he would discover her traitorous secret soon. She didn't dare contemplate what her fate might be when that happened.

Another sigh cut through the night air, this one of frustrated resignation instead of annoyance. "I know I'm being selfish, Obi-Wan," she admitted with a whisper, "but I just want all of this over with. I want to get as far away from all of this senselessness as possible." Her fingers threaded through his hair again, more gently this time. "And I want you safe. With me."

Whatever retort she'd been expecting, the warmth of his lips over hers certainly wasn't it. The move caught her off guard, wrenching a gasp from her throat and igniting a fire deep in her belly. Once her initial shock wore off, she heartily returned the kiss. There was an uncharacteristic desperation in the way he gripped her to him, in the way he seemed to not be able to get close enough. That realization made that internal fire rise to her chest and spread down her arms to the very tips of her fingers. She wondered if he felt the same heat as he groaned into her mouth.

He pulled away much too soon for her liking. Their heavy breathing drowned out the sounds of the nocturnal insects that chirped and buzzed around them. For the briefest of moments, it seemed to Asajj that they were the only ones in the entire universe. A strange weakness formed in her knees when he opened his eyes again and gazed at her. In those eyes she saw everything she had ever wanted even before she had known she wanted it: desire, compassion, empathy, and above all, love. There was unmistakable love shining in those bright blue orbs.

Their time had come to an end. They had to return to their sides of the battlelines. But Obi-Wan had something to say before they parted. "Be strong, my love," he breathed into her ear as he pulled her close. "It's not for much longer. I promise."

Her arms tightened around her lover almost to the point of discomfort. She didn't want to ever let him go. "Don't do anything stupid out there, Kenobi."

His chest rumbled with a laugh. "I'll do my best, darling."

One last kiss, one lingering touch of hands, and they were gone. Both pulled their masks back into place. Both forced their disappointment and heartache side.

_A. Neither ever noticed the drone floating silently above them, recording their every move, every word._

_B. Neither ever noticed the eyes above them, watching their every move. Those eyes burned yellow as ears listened to every word. Neither was aware of a familiar hate that swept through those organs' owner._

* * *

**Let me explain: I have two different ways to end this particular story. I'll upload them separately later on, and then you can choose which one you want to read. It's like a Choose Your Own Adventure story, except instead of adventure you get to choose between sads. I'm a sadist, I know.**


	17. Home II

**This installment is a gift for two people who mean a great deal to me even though we only know each other online. Scribblingbearcat, thank you for fangirling over these two with me on a regular basis and providing some much needed smiles and laughs lately. Andromakhe, thank you for being just as passionate about these characters as I am and for being a sounding board for me to vent about something that greatly upset me a couple days ago. **

**You two are amazing, wonderful people and I'm so happy to have you guys in my life. I hope you like this chapter and don't mind my overall sappiness :)**

* * *

"Herun, stop playing with that and get ready for bed." Asajj didn't look up from her task, but her son knew better than to try to continue when his mother told him to stop. The toddler put his practice lightsaber on the table next to his sister's and started undressing in that slow, careful way children did when doing new things on their own.

Asajj's fingers deftly finished off the braid she had been working on and tied it off. Nalaya had been suffering from massive hair tangles every morning, but she had refused to have it cut. "I like having pretty hair," she had told her mother. Of course, after a night of tossing and turning it looked less pretty and more like a womp rat's nest. So Asajj had taken to braiding it at night to keep it mostly in place.

"There, all done." Nala had just risen from the stool she had been sitting on when Herun approached. One arm had gotten stuck inside his nightshirt and the other just didn't know where it wanted to be. Asajj couldn't help but smile. "You tried, my love," she said as she repositioned his arms in the sleeves where they belonged. When that was done, she gently cupped his chin in one hand and lifted his head to meet her eyes. "That's what's important."

Little Herun stepped closer and closed one hand around the comb in his mother's lap. Unsure of how to use it himself, he shook it up and down in front of her, willing her to understand what he wanted. "You want me to comb your hair like Nala?" Herun had yet to say his first word even at three years of age; Asajj had begun to worry (Nala had first spoken before her first birthday, and seemingly hadn't stopped), but Doc Mell in the oasis had assured her that all children developed at different rates. He would speak when he was good and ready and not a moment before. After a while, Asajj had stopped fretting and learned to interpret her son's actions in place of words. Now, she grabbed the comb before he could jab it in his eye. "Okay, but stay still."

"The runt's always trying to copy me," a high voice whined from its bed.

"Imitation is a form of flattery, little one," another voice responded from the doorway. Obi-Wan strode into the bedroom, a smile sent to Asajj as she drew the comb carefully through their son's short hair, and sat down on Nala's bed. "You should be honored that your brother wants to do what his big sister does," he continued, drawing the blanket up to her shoulders.

She sent him a glare that he was sure she thought was frightening. "It's annoying," she mumbled.

Obi-Wan just offered a gentle smile. "You won't think that when the day comes when he thinks you're the annoying one."

Nala pursed her lips and raised the blanket over her head. That was her habit whenever she knew her father was right but refused to admit it; she hated being wrong more than being copied by her baby brother. Obi-Wan simply shook his head before puling the blanket down just enough to kiss Nala's cheek, which she promptly scrubbed with her hand. Yes, she was definitely her mother's daughter. "Good night, little one."

"And now you're done," Asajj said to Herun. "In bed." Herun walked as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, clambering into his own bed (with a little aid from the Force from Obi-Wan). Unlike his sister, Herun actually seemed to enjoy bedtime. The only thing he didn't like was the dark. That was easily solved by Asajj activating a small orb on the table to project a starscape on the ceiling over his bed. Herun locked his bright blue eyes on the slowly swirling points of light, fascinated by them.

"May your dreams be filled with stars, little one," Obi-Wan whispered, pressing a kiss to his son's forehead. He stepped aside to let Asajj bid her own goodnights to their children.

Watching the three of them from the doorway filled Obi-Wan's chest with a warmth that radiated outward into an almost-physical wave. There was a special kind of peace in their home, in this remote corner of the Jundland Wastes. It may not have been the home to him that the Jedi Temple had always been, but it was perfect the way it was.

An unexpected pang of guilt and grief washed over him at the thought. Would this have been what Anakin would have seen with Padme if the Dark Side had not consumed him? Would he have felt this utter contentment and joy that Obi-Wan felt now? Why did Obi-Wan now have what Anakin should have had all along?

He must have been projecting again because suddenly Asajj was there, her silver eyes locked on his and one hand on his cheek. She didn't say a word, but she knew what was going through his head. Ten years in the desert hadn't entirely tempered his feeling of responsibility for what happened to his best friend; he didn't know it, but she had seen him kneeling in front of that battered chest several times, always cradling Skywalker's lightsaber to his chest as he tried to hold back the tears. Every time she had wanted to comfort him, but something always held her back. Instead she would wait for him to close the chest and return to their bed where she would wrap her arms around him and simply hold him until he fell asleep.

Obi-Wan gave his head a mental shake to clear it of those feelings, grasping his wife's hand and gifting the palm with a grateful kiss. She had a way of silently yet firmly telling him to leave the past in the past and move on. After all, hadn't he consistently told her the same thing when she was struggling to return to the Light after a lifetime in Darkness? It would not only have been grossly unfair to her but would have made him a hypocrite, something she wouldn't abide by in the slightest. She also had ways of beating sense into him when he was stubborn.

Asajj began to walk away to leave her children to sleep in peace. Obi-Wan gazed at them for just a moment longer, then quietly closed the door. He caught up to Asajj before she reached the door to their room and reached for her wrist. Her brow furrowed as she turned. Rather than answer, he simply gave her a mischievous smile and led her back down the hall to the living area. He let her go and pushed their few furnishings aside to open a wide space on the floor. A beam of light from one of Tatooine's triple moons peeked through the closed shutters to scatter faint light across the room.

Asajj only grew more confused. What was he up to? Looking rather pleased with himself, and just the slightest bit nervous (Nervous? Why?), he straightened and held out a hand to her. Still unsure of his intentions but genuinely curious as to what he was planning, Asajj carefully placed her hand in his. He pulled her towards him until only a hair's breadth of space remained between them. One arm went around her waist while his fingers closed around her hand.

She had just opened her mouth to demand an explanation when it started. Obi-Wan began to sing.

"_Let me teach you how to dance_." Asajj knew she was gaping, but this was so unexpected she didn't quite know how to react. His voice had always held sway over her (whether she wanted to admit it or not), and hearing it like this, so soft, so enchanting, it nearly hypnotized her.

"_Let me lead you to the floor." _Perhaps he _was_ hypnotizing her: when he stepped back, she instinctively stepped forward. Then to the side, then back, and again and again until they were dancing.

_"Simply place your hand in mine." _Asajj soon felt her face flood with heat. She felt ridiculous. She had always been a fighter, never a dancer. Obi-Wan, on the other hand, even when fighting had always moved with the grace of one suited for either profession. She tried to pull away but he only tightened his grip on her and continued the admittedly sweet song.

_"And then think of nothing more." _And so she did. All of her doubts and insecurities disappeared as he leaned his head down and pressed his cheek against hers. The embarrassed heat that had colored her cheeks faded until her entire body felt pleasantly warm and his voice poured over her.

"Let the music cast its spell. Give the atmosphere a chance. Simply follow where I lead. Let me teach you how to dance

." Obi-Wan stopped moving as the last word left his lips in a whisper against her ear. Asajj raised her suddenly-heavy head until her half-closed eyes met her husband's.

She wasn't aware of her parted lips or her shallow breath. She didn't feel Obi-Wan's hand draw hers to his shoulder and release it to cup her jaw. The only things she was aware of was the touch of his warm breath on her face and the way time seemed to pause as he looked at her with such love and tenderness. And then all sensation and thought gave way to the gentle kiss he bestowed on her lips.

It was over almost as quickly as it began, a simple, chaste press of lips. Nothing more, nothing less. But for her, for someone who had gone so many years without such a gentle touch and was now blessed to have as much as she could ever want, it was _everything_. Of course, he had touched her in several more intimate ways (and places) during their time together, but it was the ones like this that she loved the most.

Obi-Wan looked down at her in blatant adoration as she tried to think of something to say, something to do instead of simply standing there. It was hard to remember the time when he had thought she was nothing more than Dooku's lapdog assassin. It almost seemed like that time had happened to someone else, like the memories belonged to another Obi-Wan Kenobi. Now all he saw was Asajj, the greatest, most unexpected love of his life, the mother of his children (_his children!_), the one who had kept him from drowning in despair after Anakin had fallen. It was the least he could do to make sure she always felt safe and loved.

Asajj tried several times to toss out a playful quip, a sarcastic comment, anything but standing there looking like a fish on dry land. Obi-Wan didn't seem to mind, though; he took both of her hands in his and raised them to his lips. Just as tenderly as he gave her lips, he pressed a kiss into the back of each hand, his eyes not once deviating from hers.

It was as if she suddenly snapped back into her body when Asajj felt coherent thought and sensation returning to her mind and limbs. Was...Was he..._courting her? _Surely not. Ten years of life together in the desert, several months before that skirting around his Jedi brethren and her former Separatist associates. They'd had no time nor need for courtship. And now it just seemed doubly pointless. She was his just as certainly as he was hers. He knew that. Stars above, they had children together! So why this game all of a sudden?

"My darling, Asajj," he whispered when he curled his hands, still holding hers, against his chest. "Would you allow me the honor of escorting you to your bedchamber on this most lovely night?"

It took her a moment to register his words, another for his tone, and one more to allow herself to fall into the game that obviously made him happy to play. One side of her mouth turned up in her customary sultry smirk, which only grew at the sharp intake of breath from her husband. "My dear Obi-Wan, only one thing would give me greater pleasure."

Heat blossomed in his breast at the sound of her voice, low and almost sinful. It sizzled up to the back of his neck and down below his chest to more...secretive places. He had to swallow the lump that had sprang up in his throat before a single word could form on his tongue. "And what might that be, my lady?" he breathed.

She stepped back, pulling him with her, that double-edged smile still on her dark lips. "If you would join me. I do so hate lying in bed alone."

Obi-Wan followed her like a hapless rabbit ensnared in a viper's gaze. The difference between him and that metaphorical rabbit, however, was that he followed willingly. Oh, so willingly. "As you know, I live to serve."

Her teeth gleamed in the dark as her lips pulled back into a full smile. "And serve me well you have, my dear." She led him down the hall, into their room (releasing one of his hands so he could close the door behind him), and onto their bed. "Perhaps now is the time to return that favor." His cheeks burned under her palms as she leaned back on the mattress, pulling him on top of her. "Would you like that, Obi-Wan?"

For the first time in a very long time, the Great Negotiator found himself at a loss for words. Instead, he answered not with words, but with a kiss. This time, however, it was not so chaste.

* * *

**Quick disclaimer: the song Obi-Wan sings is not my own. It's from the utterly charming movie "Miss Potter". And guess who sings it in that? -evil smile- It's on YouTube if you want to him sing it. Seriously, it's so sweet and cute and never fails to make me smile. **


	18. Supernova

**Here's another one that's a hard M. Not for kiddies!**

* * *

The world crashed back around her as the beep of her comlink broke through the euphoric haze that had settled on her mind. Asajj Ventress let loose a feral growl of annoyance at the auditory intrusion, but she didn't answer the call. She had better things to devote her attentions to. Like trying to keep her sanity in check as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her.

But whomever was trying to contact her seemed determined to steal her focus. Another low growl escaped her throat. A responding chuckle came from the head now lifting itself from between her shaking thighs. "Shouldn't you answer that, my sweet?" Asajj looked down at the source of that damnable voice, her labored breath filling the air. Smiling blue eyes looked back above a mouth and beard that glistened with her essence. "It might be important, after all."

The infernal beep seemed to agree, a red light flashing obnoxiously along with the sound. A strangled sound of frustration worked its way from deep in her chest even as Obi-Wan continued to smile up at her. Realizing the damn thing wasn't going to stop until she answered, she snatched the device from the small table beside the bed an opened the link. "What?" she snapped breathlessly.

A female voice answered. "Ventress, we've got a new gig and an opening for another bounty hunter. Two million creds. You want in?"

"That is a lot of money, dearest," Obi-Wan offered, his hands smoothing over her still-trembling legs as he licked his lips clean.

Asajj nearly groaned at the sight. Instead she merely tightened her fingers in his hair and gave a sharp tug. He grunted, one hand gripping her thigh. "Not this time, Latts. Something else came up."

"Alright, if you're sur-" A push of a button and a well-aimed toss had the comlink both silent and far away from her in case anyone else decide to try to interrupt.

"Aren't you overreacting just a touch, Asajj?"

She didn't want to play right now. She wanted his lips and tongue being used for better things, like whatever he was doing moments earlier to make her feel as if her body would fly apart at any moment. "Get back down there, Kenobi," she growled, pulling his head back to the ache between her legs that demanded to be sated. "It's rude to leave a lady waiting."

"I most certainly agree."

It really wasn't fair, she thought as he returned to his task. Ever since he'd come barging into her apartment she'd found herself with less and less clothing until she was completely bared. Meanwhile, he'd managed not only to keep all of his clothes on, but even his armor. How had he distracted her so quickly and easily that she couldn't even think to even the playing field? The only consolation she had was that he was now on his knees on the floor before her, her feet planted firmly on his thighs, and leading her toward one of the most intense orgasms of her life.

If he would ever hurry up and finish it, that is.

Without a hint of warning, Obi-Wan hooked his hands under her knees and drew them over his shoulders, his head never once lifting from her. A muffled groan sounded against her when the change in angle drew first a sharp gasp, then a shriek from her lips. Her fingers in his hair tightened, urging him to do...something. Move faster, slower, stop, go on. She wasn't really sure which anymore. Even when she fell back to the bed with a deep, long exhale, she wasn't even sure she could remember her own name. Her entire universe had shrank until it consisted only of the indescribable, exquisite torment this Jedi, this man was torturing her with.

Asajj felt as if she were surely dying when a long, slow lick preceded a series of quick flicks with the tip of his tongue. Oh, the things that tongue was capable of. Her legs squeezed around his head as she neared her limit. The sweat that had beaded on her skin now felt cloying and stifling. Her lungs refused to fill completely until she felt as if she were suffocating. And at the center of it all was Obi-Wan, the man she had hated for so long, whom she was sure had hated her, now giving her pleasure no one had ever before been able to stir in her. Even now his hands steadying her hips and his face buried between her legs ignited a fire she'd rarely felt before, but one she desperately wished would consume her and be done with it.

The coiling inside her wound tighter and tighter with each passing second, each gasping breath wrenched from her throat, each groan of pleasure from him, and each artful pass of lips and tongue over her hypersensitive flesh. Sound and touch were amplified to the point of pain. There was no sight anymore; even when she knew her eyes were open all she could see were great black spots ringed with color. Obi-Wan was making her blind to everything...and she found she didn't care.

It wasn't quite a scream that tore from her mouth when her limit had finally been reached, but it was pretty damn close. Her back arched from the bed while her thighs tightened around her tormentor's head as his lips closed around that small point that was the apex of her pleasure. Those black spots exploded into color like a supernova; reds, greens, yellows, and blues bombarded her behind her eyelids. She thought she heard him make a sound when her fingers gripped and pulled his hair, but it was difficult to put the pieces of herself back together when she was still shattering like a dropped glass.

Hours seemed to pass before the tension in her body finally ebbed. The thin mattress was a welcome support when she fell back to it, but it was no help in regaining her breath. Her lungs and throat burned as she drew in gasp after gasp. Her legs and arms went limp when the worst of it had passed, but she still couldn't see anything past those bursting lights. She could still feel, however.

Obi-Wan's hands caressed her legs, his touch almost painful so soon after that powerful orgasm. His wet lips pressed into her thigh before his cheek nuzzled that same spot. A draft of cool air passed against her skin when he inhaled deeply, letting it out with a shuddering exhale. The smell of sex and sweat permeated the air like a perfume. There was only one thing wrong with it, she thought as she began to rebuild her mind: _his _scent wasn't mixed in with hers. When she recovered more fully she would have to remedy that. But she needed to at least catch her breath first.

Obi-Wan removed her legs from his shoulders and climbed onto the mattress above her, carefully dragging her more fully onto the bed as he went. The tip of his nose traced the curve of her jaw up to her ear, where he let out a slow breath before asking, "I trust it was good for you, my dear?"

Asajj tried turning her head to respond with a sharp remark, but even that simple movement was too much for her at the moment. "Arrogant...Jedi..." she breathed.

She felt him smile against her; she hated how smug he was being, even if it was deserved. "I'll take that as a yes." One of his hands slid up her arm that had fallen to the bed beside her head. She wasn't crazy about the barrier of his glove keeping his skin from hers, but she couldn't do anything about that (yet). His fingers laced through hers when he reached her hand and caressed a knuckle with his thumb. He lowered his weight onto her, not enough to cause her discomfort, but more than enough to draw another sigh from her lips. Any other time she might have felt trapped, but not right now. Right now, his was a welcome weight, a welcome heat. Her breasts brushed against his still-clothed chest with each breath, and combined with the press of something achingly familiar and firm between her legs brought a needy whine from her.

By the stars, she hadn't even recovered from his first assault and she already wanted more. She wanted _everything_.

"Eager tonight, aren't we, my darling?" he chuckled against her throat. She wanted to smack that self-satisfied tone right out of him. "I can give you more time to compose yourself if you like."

That did it. She'd had enough. The hand that had remained in his hair closed until her nails bit into her palm. She gave his head a hard yank until his throat was perfectly exposed; she thought about sinking her teeth into that enticing column of skin, but only for a moment. His startled gasp sent a bolt of heat down to her belly. When she spoke, her lips brushed against his neck almost threateningly, daring him to do something to make her change her mind and bite down. "You haven't won yet, Jedi," she hissed. "I have tricks and skills you couldn't even imagine."

A breathy laugh reached her ears. "I have quite a good imagination when it comes to you, Asajj." Her fingers tightened again. He groaned. "Are you sure you can deliver on that promise?"

The smile she sent him was not a nice one. "Only one way to find out, isn't there..." It took every ounce of strength and willpower she had to force her legs to tighten around his hips and roll them to the side until he lay beneath her. She felt more at ease on top, but the sudden change in position sent sparks shooting through her until yet another sound of need wrenched itself from her throat. Her thighs shook around him as she settled onto him and the hard line of his arousal. It was amazing really how in control of himself he was when he so obviously wanted more. "This is better, isn't it, Obi-Wan."

Her vision was clear again when his hands traced down her sides to close around her hips. She would never admit it aloud, but she would give almost anything to see the expression now on his face more often. His eyes were wide, his lips parted, and his gaze danced over her body with no shortage of unmistakeable desire.

Asajj placed her hands over his to direct them to the best places. Across her ribs, over her breasts, up her neck, down her shoulders, back around her waist. Now that she was in complete control of his touch she could control her reaction to it. In her experience, men were visual and auditory creatures. So, she exaggerated her sighs and movements just a bit for his benefit...not that she had to try all that hard.

"Asajj," she heard him whisper brokenly. "Don't tease."

A laugh burst from her mouth. "After what you put me through tonight, you have the nerve to ask that of me?" She arched into his hands when she brought both of them to cover her sensitive breasts. "Perhaps I should throw you out now and let you take care of yourself on your own." A twist of her hips left no doubt as to what she meant. His hands twitched at the movement and his eyes darkened. He really was quite attractive when at the mercy of his own emotions...and her, of course.

A mix of shock and pleasure colored the sound that shot from her when Obi-Wan sat up and gripped the back of her neck. His breath scorched the flesh of her face and neck even as his fingertips pressed into her skin. "_Please_, my sweet," he said softly, hotly, his free arm going around her waist to pull her closer against his straining erection. "Don't tease me."

Asajj felt herself melting into his arms at his tone. Oh, the begging in his voice was delicious. "You seem to be the one doing the teasing, my dear," she replied throatily, her knuckles rapping against his armor. "Keeping these layers between us is just cruel."

"I can fix that," he said with a deep groan.

"Do it quick."

And he did. His fingers moved swiftly and with practiced ease as he removed first his pauldrons, then his arm guards, and finally his chest piece. They clattered to the floor even as he moved on to his robe and tunic. Asajj had originally planned to help remove the offending barriers, but he moved so fast and with such vigor she couldn't keep up. She moved back a bit when he pulled his undershirt over his head, but his arm shot out and roughly pulled her back. "Where do you think you're going?" he growled.

A shiver went down her spine. The heat that had pooled in her belly began to bubble up to her chest again. He began to pull his gloves off with his teeth, but she stopped him. She plucked the fabric away from his fingers as slowly as she could manage just to torture him. Why shouldn't he get a taste of his own medicine? Of course, her triumph faded when his skin met hers. It was even hotter than she remembered, as if a fire burned from inside him to sear her own flesh at the slightest contact.

Before the sensation could overwhelm her (or he could gather his wits and distract her again), Asajj pushed him back down to the bed. "I'm not going anywhere,'' she breathed against his throat before pressing her lips into his pounding pulse. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Obi-Wan drew in a sharp breath when her hand slipped down his chest and below his waistline. He stared at her as her fingers gently stroked him through his trousers. She watched him closely as she changed tactics, utilizing more of her palm and reserving her slender fingers for more precision work. He was trying not to react. But she knew how to read him. She knew he was reciting his Jedi mantra over and over in his head; his eyelids always fluttered whenever he got to the "there is no passion" line.

He still hadn't answered her, however. Her hand slipped down between the fabric and his burning skin to quickly, firmly take hold of his hard flesh. That got a reaction out of him. One hand gripped her thigh, the other fisted in the sheet below him, his shoulders rose from the bed, and a most exquisite moan reverberated from his throat. "I'm going to take that as a no," she laughed.

That moan soon turned into a sound of disappointment when she removed her hand. But that was only the beginning: she made quick work of his shin guards and boots, shoving them to the floor to join their brothers, then pulled the fabric from his legs. Now he was finally as bare as she was. Now the playing field was level...more or less.

Asajj slid up his body until her mouth hovered just millimeters over his. She didn't miss how his eyes flicked down to her lips. That unspoken desire pulled her to him like a magnet. Her mouth covered his as if she sought to consume him entirely; not a bad idea in the long run. She tasted herself on his tongue, a bittersweet flavor that made her body tingle most pleasantly. Her fingers combed through his already-messy hair, simultaneously angling his head to the best angles. A sound very similar to the ones he'd drawn from her earlier rumbled from him when she pulled away.

But Asajj Ventress wasn't finished with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Not even close.

Her kisses trailed to his chin, down his neck, further down his chest...and lower. She gave him a wicked smile just before she reached her target. "I think I now know how to break that stubborn control of yours, my dear," she said, her voice and words coated with dark promise.

For the rest of the night, words failed the Great Negotiator. All of his skills, abilities, and talents were reduced to giving voice to the pleasure his former enemy woke in him. Not that either of them complained, of course.


	19. Discovery 1A

Pain was no stranger to her. She'd been through hell and worse over the course of her short life. But this time was different somehow. This time it wasn't about how she had failed some mission or even mouthed off to her Master as she sometimes did when her frustration got the better of her.

He knew. Dooku had found out. She'd known he would discover her secret sooner or later, she just didn't think it would be this soon. She'd been so careful, taken every precaution in covering her trail so as not to lead the Sith Lord to her Jedi lover. How had he found out?

Asajj laid as still as possible on the cell floor so as not to aggravate her open wounds. The cold steel was little comfort on her burning skin, but she would take whatever she could at the moment. Moving hurt. Breathing hurt. Thinking hurt. Even if she could push past the agony she was bound to the wall by chains on her wrists and ankles; Dooku had made sure she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

There was a distant hiss as the door at the far end of the holding block slid open. The sound was like a knife to her ears. Was he coming back to inflict more torture on her? Gloat? Finally kill her? She almost wished for that just so she could leave her sham of a life behind for good. She closed her eyes as his heavy footfalls grew closer. This was the end for her.

The electromagnetic field separating her from freedom disappeared. But it wasn't Dooku that joined her in the cell.

Another body, battered and beaten almost beyond recognition, was thrown to the floor in front of her. It groaned pitifully before rolling over onto its back. She knew that face.

"Obi-Wan!" came her horrified whisper before she could stop herself. Now her own pain was irrelevant. Everything became irrelevant as her eyes flicked over his bloodstained face, down where his robes had been slashed and torn across his chest. Her breath stuck in her throat when his eyes found hers. If there had been a shred of doubt as to who this was, one look at those eyes chased them away.

Asajj pushed herself onto her elbows, biting back a scream as raw flesh made contact with the floor, and attempted to crawl towards the Jedi. He reached out with one hand to meet her...

...only to be ripped away by the cold, crushing hand of a droid.

She fell to the floor, overbalanced, watching helplessly as her lover was chained to the wall opposite her. Her heart sank when she realized that no matter how far she strained her own chains, no matter if he tried to pull away from his, she couldn't touch him. She couldn't lay a gentle hand on his cheek, or lace her fingers with his in an attempt to comfort him and ease his pain. To be so close yet so far was the worst torture for her...and Dooku knew it.

"Did you truly believe that your liaisons would escape my notice, Asajj?" The Sith lord calmly strode into the cell, hands clasped behind his back, his stony gaze fixed on the floor as if she wasn't even worth his full attention. His booted feet came to a halt mere inches from her head. She didn't dare look up. "Perhaps it is my own fault. I allowed you too much freedom." His voice was too calm. It was as if he were simply commenting on the weather or the lunch menu. That alone terrified her more than any threat of torture. "I should have kept you on your leash." He moved away with calculated precision, each step planned to the smallest detail. Asajj took a chance and glanced up.

Dooku stopped near Obi-Wan, whose head was bowed below his shoulders. Asajj's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when she saw that. It was the posture of someone who had been broken. Her Obi-Wan was broken. She stifled a protest when Dooku's hand gripped the Jedi's face none too gently. "To think you ever thought you could be a Sith when you allowed this vermin to so easily turn you. The Jedi are nothing but enemies of the Sith. They are impediments to the Grand Plan and should be eliminated, not consorted with."

He moved faster than sight. One large step back, a hand raised to Obi-Wan's chest, and a sheet of blue lightning shot from the Sith's fingertips. Asajj's scream was drowned out by Obi-Wan's as the electricity flooded through him without end. She surged to her feet in a panic and struggled against her bonds. Her own injuries were forgotten in the face of his agony.

"Master, please!" she begged. "Please stop! I'll do anything you ask. Let him live. Please!" She didn't care how weak she sounded, how disgusted he was by her display. All that mattered was trying to make Obi-Wan's pain stop. "MASTER!"

To her surprise, Dooku recalled the lightning. Obi-Wan slumped against the wall, his robes and hair smoking. The Sith turned to her then, his face as cold and expressionless as ever. "Why should I, Asajj? Master Kenobi is a pillar of the Jedi Order and thus of the Republic. His death would turn the tide of this war in our favor. Give me just one reason to spare his life."

Asajj tried to think straight; that task was made increasingly more difficult when the adrenaline wore off and pain once more swept through her limbs. She kept her eyes locked on her lover as she delivered her answer. "He...He would be more useful as a traitor to the Jedi. Turn him...to the Dark Side instead." She hated what she was saying. She was sure Obi-Wan would hate her for it as well. But she was desperate. She would indeed do anything to keep him alive...even if it meant his eternal hatred. Her resolve strengthened, she finally turned to her Master. "That's what you've wanted from the beginning, right? To bring one of the greatest Jedi over to our side? To show just how weak their Order is?"

For just a moment, a tiny, brief blip of an instant, she thought Dooku might have considered it. Bringing a Jedi like Obi-Wan over to the Dark Side would be a crowning achievement for the Sith. Morale among the Jedi would crumble when they learned that one of their best could be turned. In the end, the Separatists would win the war, and the Sith would reign triumphant. Selfish hope bloomed in her chest.

Until Dooku gave her a one-sided smile that reminded her of a wolf's. "You have tried to play me for a fool, child. I know exactly what must be done." Asajj strained forward once more when Dooku again stepped towards Obi-Wan. "I know how fond you are of words, Master Kenobi. Is there anything you'd like to say?"

The Jedi strained to raise his head, the effort making sweat break out on his forehead, but he didn't look at Dooku. His eyes focused on Asajj and stayed there. "Be strong, my love," he breathed, his voice unrecognizably rough. "Don't give up. Don't give in."

Ice replaced the blood in her veins as she realized what he was saying. This was his goodbye. He knew he was going to die.

"How sentimental." Although it should have been familiar to her by now, the hiss of his lightsaber igniting made her jump. No. _No!_ "Since you seem to forget to whom your loyalties lie, I will eliminate the complication."

She didn't realize she was screaming when red plasma pierced Obi-Wan's breast. All she felt was her heart ripping itself apart in her chest and the cold weight her stomach had become when he fell forward for the last time. The hot tears burning her eyes and cheeks went unnoticed. The sharp pain in her kneecaps when she collapsed to the floor was inconsequential. What did anything matter anymore with her lover's lifeless body suspended against cold steel?

Dooku said something as she fell to her side, but she didn't hear it. Her world had been destroyed yet again. Yet another person she loved had been taken from her. And what made it even worse was that she couldn't even touch him. The same droid that had brought him in was now unchaining him and dragging him out of the cell. She scrambled to stop it, to touch her Obi-Wan one last time, but it was gone.

Dooku left her to drown in her grief.

Days passed before he returned to her. During that time Asajj had cried until her throat went raw and her tears ran dry. She replayed Obi-Wan's last words over and over like a mantra, like a prayer. _Don't give up,_ he'd said. _Don't give in._ Although the Dark Side beckoned to her like a siren song, her faith and trust in Obi-Wan was stronger. She knew what she had to do.

"Have you recovered from your lapse in judgment, Asajj?" Dooku asked when his droid unclasped her chains.

She drew herself to her full height by sheer willpower. Her wounds had closed, but they still burned. She would be damned before she let it show, though. "I have, my Master."

"Are you certain?"

"My allegiance to the Sith has not changed. I was regrettably ensnared by the Jedi's tricks. But no longer. I am ever your servant in every way."

Dooku stepped closer until he invaded her personal space. She didn't flinch. "Whom do you serve, child?"

Asajj dropped to one knee, ignoring the fire that shot through her sides and back when the movement strained her wounds. "I serve you, Lord Tyrannus."

A long moment passed. Blood pounded in her ears and each breath felt cold and heavy. Then a weight descended on her bowed head. Still she didn't flinch. "Welcome back, Ventress." He patted her head like one would a dog. She fought down her anger; it would do her no good now. There would be time later for it to be freed. "Come. We have work to do."

As observant and perceptive as the Count of Serrano was, he didn't see the look of complete and utter hatred shot at him from pale eyes. He didn't see how his assassin's hands had balled into fists so tight that blood trickled between her fingers.

* * *

"Much have you accomplished in these past weeks, Lord Tyrannus," Sidious drawled. "The death of General Obi-Wan Kenobi, though not as great a demonstration as I would have liked, has turned the tide of this war in our favor. Morale among the Jedi has fallen. Unlike the Sith, they do not understand the depth of emotion."

"And when confronted with their own mortality," Dooku picked up, "they slip up. The Sith are not so weak as to allow such base emotions to control us."

Sidious turned hidden eyes to the pale figure a few steps behind his apprentice. "What say you, child?" A bony hand beckoned her forward. "Don't be shy."

Asajj stepped beside Dooku, a pillar of cold stone so different from the raging fire she used to be. Her heart had turned to ice. Her mind had been wiped of all emotion that she could not use to enhance her own power. Only her lifelong rage remained. She was now a perfect candidate to become a true Sith. "It is as you say, my Masters," she said hollowly. "The Jedi's weakness has been exposed to their precious Republic. They know now that there is no way they can win this conflict while holding to their primitive beliefs of what the Force is and wants. Only the Sith know the true path to galactic peace...and it is only through war that it can be achieved."

Sidious smiled, a visage that would have been frightening to someone who could still feel fear. Asajj had rid herself of fear several weeks earlier, of everything. "Spoken like a true Sith." He turned then to Dooku, a curious glint coming into his burning eyes. "Do you agree?"

Dooku thought this must be some kind of test. How should he answer? What did Lord Sidious expect him to say? Deciding that honesty was always best when it came to his Master (a lie would only infuriate the Dark Lord and do nothing to win Dooku any favor), he replied, "I do, my lord."

"Then it is decided." Sidious turned again to Asajj, who had remained unmoved. "Kill him."

It happened too quickly. One moment Dooku had only just registered his Master's words, the next his head was rolling away into shadows. His body remained standing for a long moment, then collapsed to the floor. A single line of thrumming crimson was the only color and sound in the room.

Until Sidious spoke.

"Come closer, child." Asajj obeyed, not a single muscle betraying her elation at having finally gotten her revenge against the man who had taken the only person she had ever loved from her. "You have proven yourself many times over these past days. Dooku was indeed powerful, but you were correct: he had become too complacent, too secure. He had become...stunted. But you" -his molten gaze took on an almost paternal gleam as he looked at her- "you still have great ambition and great promise. And still many years ahead of you. I will teach you the ways of the Sith." His skeletal hand closed around hers and drew her closer. "Kneel before me and receive your title." She did. She was so close she could touch her forehead to his knee if she moved but an inch forward. "I name you Darth Vindicaa, a Lady of the Sith and my new right hand. Now rise, my apprentice." Again, she obeyed. "You will have your revenge on the Jedi who abandoned your first Master to an horrific end, and lured you into their web of lies and deceit. That anger has not dampened, has it. I can feel it simmering just below the surface."

"Yes, my Lord," she answered flatly. "My anger has not abated. It is merely controlled."

Sidious smiled. "Good. Good." He stood, making his way to the viewport that looked out over the blackness of space. Asajj followed closely. "It is not the absence of emotion that fuels one's power as the Jedi so naively believe. It is the _control_ of it. To channel such rage until it becomes a weapon of its own."

"I agree, my Master. The Jedi as a whole are worthless. To think that they are so superior because they choose to shut out emotion is arrogance beyond comprehension." That crimson blade that severed Count Dooku's head from his shoulders once more ignited and moved faster than thought. Asajj's eyes stayed fixed on the vacuum outside the transparisteel barrier, burning with hate and loss as her hand drove that humming line through Sidious's chest. The Sith Lord may have been mighty, but nothing compared to the soul-crushing grief that had plagued Asajj since her lover's murder. It had cleared her mind of all thought and distraction until all that was left was single-minded determination to see him avenged.

This wasn't revenge. This was justice.

Sidious tried to raise his hands but Asajj's second blade was faster. Those nightmarish appendages flew away, leaving behind twin stumps of charred flesh and bone. Only then did she turn her gaze to him. "But I loved one of them more than anything. More than my own life. Now there is only one thing left, _my Lord._" A quick spin of her lightsabers and the most fearsome being in the galaxy was in three pieces at her feet. She spared only a brief glance of contempt at them until she was sure no amount of Sith magic would pull them back together. It was funny, really. It was not blind hate or overconfident serenity that brought about the end of the Sith. It was grief. It was love and the loss of that love that cut the Sith Lord down.

The irony was almost amusing. Almost.

The first parts of her plan were now done. All that was left was to collect the Sith's lightsabers, which she did as she headed out of the room, and make one last trip.

* * *

Three Jedi met her as she carefully climbed the stairs leading into their Temple. One, a young Nautolan that apparently had not yet completed his training, tried rushing at her with his lightsaber. A subtle turn of her hand ripped the weapon from his grip and sent him careening into a wall. The other two, a human female and an Ithorian male, ignited their blades but kept their distance. Asajj simply continued up the steps, the Jedi shadowing her.

Others joined when they felt her Dark presence enter their sanctuary of Light. None was fool enough to try to attack, however. Luckily for them; she was in no mood to play today. She had a mission to complete.

Beneath her hood, silver eyes swept over the Temple as she walked. This was the place her Obi-Wan had called home. This was where he felt most at ease and safe. This was where he had been raised, trained, and knighted. She could almost feel his presence around her the further into the building she ventured. It comforted her.

"Members of the Jedi Council," she called out. "I come bearing gifts."

A whisper went through the crowd. What did she mean 'gifts'? Surely no one would take her bait, whatever she was plotting.

Of course, the emergence of Skywalker shot down those hopes. "Witch!" he yelled. His lightsaber was in his hand before anyone could stop him. "You killed Obi-Wan! Let me return the favor!"

He charged. Asajj sighed. All bluster, all recklessness. How Obi-Wan had put up with him without going crazy for so many years was beyond her. That deadly blue blade was only centimeters from her face when it froze. Skywalker looked momentarily stunned, then tried pushing forward again. Again, the tip of his saber did not meet its target. A pass of her hand lifted him from the floor to hover in midair, his limbs as useless as a puppet's. "Still such blatant hate," she chortled. "How you have managed to blind your fellow Jedi to your own Darkness is astounding, Skywalker." She closed her fist. Instead of using the Force to choke him, as was his referred method, she wrapped it around his heart and squeezed. The boy dropped his weapon to clutch at his chest, his face contorted in excruciating pain. _Good, _she thought mildly. _Now you know a sliver of the pain I've endured these past weeks. _

"Ventress." Asajj released 'the Chosen One' at the sound of that voice. That voice commanded respect and attention, but did so without demanding it. A remarkable skill, actually. The Korun Master pushed through the crowd, diminutive Yoda following closely behind. "What are you doing here?"

She turned her attention away from her long-time enemy, his body falling heavily to the floor, to face the two Council members. "Master Jedi," she said cordially with a slight bow. "As I said, I come with gifts and glad tidings." Those closest to her stepped back into defensive stances when she reached inside her cloak. She laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "Peace, Jedi. If I had wanted to harm you I would have done so long ago...and with _**nary**_ a thought."

Yoda observed her for a long time. Then, seeming to come to some conclusion, nodded his old head once. "Truth, she speaks. Powerful in the Force you have become. More than even Dooku."

Her eyes hardened at that name, but otherwise she showed no sign of it affecting her. "That I have, Master Yoda. But that is not the reason for my visit." In truth she didn't care about her power. She didn't care about the Dark Side. She didn't even care about the Jedi around her. Everything she had cared about had died on Dooku's lightsaber.

She withdrew her hands from the folds of her cloak and presented two objects to the Masters. In her right hand was the curved hilt of Dooku's damned weapon. Her left held one that no one recognized.

But Yoda knew. He could feel who its previous owner had been.

He hobbled forward, his fathomless eyes wide in disbelief. Asajj knelt down to his level so he could more closely inspect the proffered lightsabers. One three-clawed hand hovered over each of them in turn.

"Master Yoda," Windu called from behind him, his eyes never leaving Ventress.

"Dead, the Sith are," the tiny Jedi responded. A collective gasp swept through the crowd. How could that be? "By your hand, young Ventress?"

She bowed her head. "By my hand. I present their lightsabers to you as proof of their demise." She set both hilts on the floor at his feet, then straightened. "But the Sith are not finished. There is still one left: me."

"Mmm. Made you his apprentice, Sidious did. Felt the disturbance in the Force, I did. But knew not its meaning. Until now."

"Making me his apprentice was Sidious's second mistake." Her eyes took on a faraway look as she recalled that awful moment when she'd felt Obi-Wan's life force leave his body, when she'd been denied the right to even touch him. "The first was allowing Dooku to murder the man I loved...and expecting me to think nothing of it."

Yoda placed both hands contemplatively on his gimer stick as he looked at her. He seemed to be trying to see through her. She let him. There was no point in hiding her emotions for Obi-Wan any longer. "Mmm. Loved Master Kenobi, you did." A sound of disgusted disbelief cut through the air. Asajj didn't spare a glance for Skywalker. Nor did Yoda. "Loved you, he did." Silence now. Asajj took a deep breath in an effort to keep the remnants of her heart from shredding themselves further. She almost jumped when she felt a touch on her shoulder. Yoda was now directly in front of her, a kind sadness in his eyes. Only Ky Narec and Obi-Wan had ever looked at her like that. "Know this, I did. And did nothing." Asajj wasn't aware of the tears that had fallen from her eyes until Yoda gently wiped them away. His voice carried over the crowd when he spoke again. "Killed Master Obi-Wan, Ventress did not. Dooku, the culprit was. Now dead, both he and Sidious are."

"What does it matter who actually killed him?" Skywalker shouted. "She's just as guilty as they were. She deserves to be executed!" He lowered a hateful gaze at the new Sith Lady, but she didn't dignify him with a return glance. "As if this witch could ever feel love. As if Obi-Wan could _ever _feel anything for a monster like you."

Asajj ignored him. She knew the truth; that was all that mattered. His opinion meant less than nothing to her. "I admit I have not come solely to deliver these trophies, Master Yoda. I have come to surrender my life to the Jedi and end this pointless war."

"Fine by me." Skywalker had retrieved his lightsaber and ignited it again, ready to hack her head from her body at the slightest provocation.

Now Asajj acknowledged him. "I said to the Jedi, boy. Not to you." Her eyes still burned with tears of utter sadness, but she refused to let them fall in front of the whelp. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "You can wear the trappings of the Jedi and swing a lightsaber around, but you will never be the Jedi Obi-Wan was. As infuriating as it was, he knew how to let go of selfishness. There was not a drop of Darkness in him. But you are _drowning _in it. And when you realize that, it will be too late. I refuse to lay down my life to the likes of you. It's insulting."

Only Windu's grip on his arms kept Skywalker from lunging forward. Asajj didn't flinch. Indeed, a calm had washed over her. She had said her piece, had delivered the sabers, had surrendered herself to her lover's brethren. Her mission was almost complete. She turned back to Yoda, the hardness gone from her eyes. "I am ready to accept your justice, Master Yoda. End my life, end this war. Give the galaxy the peace my Obi-Wan fought so hard to bring about." She lowered her voice and leaned closer to the wizened green head. "Let me see him again in the Force. Please."

Yoda looked at her for a long time. No one, not even Skywalker, dared make a sound. Several moments passed before those bottomless eyes closed, his decision made. "Burned in the way of the Jedi, your body will be. The least I can do to honor your sacrifice, it is."

"No. Don't burn me. I don't know what happened to Obi-Wan's body after...don't give me an honor that should have gone to him. Dump me out an airlock, throw me down a ravine, I don't care. But don't honor someone like me when Obi-Wan was denied a proper burial."

Another long moment of silence passed between Sith and Jedi before Yoda nodded. "Very well. Forget you, and your love, I will not."

Asajj smiled as he withdrew his lightsaber. The green beam of energy was as holy a thing as she had ever seen. "Thank you, Master."

She closed her eyes and bowed her head low. She didn't care about the audience she had. She didn't care what any of them thought. All that mattered was one thought before sweet oblivion took her: _I'm coming, my love. I've missed you._


	20. Discovery 1B

So wrapped up in her disappointment and grief was Asajj Ventress that she didn't notice the starfighter creeping up behind her. She'd thought she was safe, thought that only she and Obi-Wan had been present in that forest. It never crossed her mind that someone could have followed them, not as careful as they both had been in covering their tracks.

She realized her mistake when the first energy bolt clipped her wing. The shock snapped her thoughts to the present and sent her into combat mode. All her focus went to maneuvering her swoop in complicated twists and spins to get out of her attacker's line of sight. He stayed on her, however. Whoever he was, he was good.

Very good.

He seemed to know all her tricks before she even executed them. There was only one pilot besides Obi-Wan who could fly so well.

The encounter couldn't even be called a dogfight; Skywalker hounded her tail as if a tractor beam linked his ship to hers. Asajj tried to clear her mind to keep the panic down, but that became increasingly difficult when shot after shot found their marks on her hull. She had no chance of outrunning or evading him, or even escaping into into the relative safety of open space. She could only hope to somehow get behind him and open fire.

If he didn't shoot her out of the sky first.

Smoke began to fill the cockpit as yet another hit landed. Her fuel gauge started to sink dangerously quickly to 'empty'. A curse slipped from her lips. She had no choice but to put down and hope to either run or kill him in hand-to-hand combat.

The controls screaming in protest, Asajj aimed her ship for the nearest patch of open ground she could find. Her eyes and throat stung from the thickening smoke. She just hoped she would survive the crash in one piece.

Thankfully, the landing wasn't as rough as she'd thought but it was still pretty shaky. It was the sudden stop that was the worst part. All of her strength went into pushing the canopy free from its hatches and scrambling out of the wreckage as quickly as possible. She was home free...

"Ventress!"

Well, almost.

She turned to that hateful voice, making her face as blank as she could. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear she felt in her heart on her face. "Long time no see, Skywalker. What brings you to this side of the galaxy?"

"Save it, witch." The Darkness in his voice and eyes made her blood freeze. _Oh no..._ "I know what you've done to Obi-Wan. I don't know why and I don't care. But I'll save him from whatever spell you cast on him." Blue energy, oddly comforting and familiar when springing from Obi-Wan's weapon, snapped to life in Skywalker's hand. Never had anything seemed so dangerous to her in that moment. On instinct she drew and activated her own blades. Would they do any good against such reckless hate? That was the million-credit question. "And I'll make sure you never do it again."

Asajj thought she'd known what true fear was in the past. Fear for her life, fear for her Sisters, fear for Obi-Wan. All of that now paled in comparison to the fear she now felt looking into Skywalker's sickly yellow eyes. But that didn't mean she would go down without a fight.

* * *

Obi-Wan was distracted. Although sometimes boring, he'd never let his mind wander during Council meetings. He'd always forced himself to focus on the matters at hand so that he could do whatever he could to help whomever was in need. But today he couldn't focus no matter how hard he tried. Perhaps he was missing Asajj, much as he wanted to deny it. Of course he missed her, but he was always able to set his own wants aside. So why could he think of nothing else but her this morning?

The turbolift leading into the Council chamber hissed open unexpectedly. All eyes went to see who had intruded. "Young Skywalker," Yoda said, surprise evident in his ancient voice. "What brings you here?"

Obi-Wan didn't miss the odd smile on his friend's face. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was...unsettling. "My apologies, Masters." Even his voice sounded different.

"Anakin," he ventured cautiously, "has something happened? What's wrong?"

The younger man's gaze slid to Obi-Wan, that curious glint in his eyes growing. "Absolutely nothing, Master. In fact, everything is wonderful."

Now the others felt it, too. Something was off-balance here. "What are you talking about, Anakin?" Shaak Ti asked.

"I have a feeling that this war may be over sooner than any of us thinks." He produced a pair of curved cylinders from his robes along with a flowing piece of fabric that looked like it had seen better days. Obi-Wan's breath lodged in his chest. His blood froze in his veins. This was a bad dream. Yes, that was it. This wasn't real. This wasn't real...

"I had a most fortunate encounter with Dooku's lapdog assassin," Anakin continued. "Well, fortunate for me. Not so much for her." He set the lightsabers and belt on the floor at the center of the ring of chairs. All eyes were fixed on the trophies as he stepped back. Only Obi-Wan looked at them with something other than awe and elation.

"Anakin," he whispered, unable to contain his horror. "What have you done?"

"Something you should have done long ago, Master. You pitied a monster. I didn't." The smile he sent him was dangerously close to a wolfish grin. "You're welcome."

Obi-Wan looked up at Anakin. Words failed him. Breath failed him. A knot had formed in his chest and threatened to constrict his heart. He stood as if moving through thick water and stepped towards the items. His fingers shook only slightly as he gathered them to his chest. "Please excuse me, Masters," he whispered. _Not again_ was the thought that repeated in his head. Another person he had loved, who had loved him desperately in return, had been taken from him. And to make it worse, she had been killed by his best friend.

Somehow he'd made it to his quarters without being aware of it. Everything he was and everything he felt had become no bigger than two lightsaber hilts. His thumb caressed the curved lines on one, the fingers of his other hand rubbing the cloth together. He could almost feel her in these objects. Anakin hd to be wrong. He couldn't have killed her. She was too clever, too determined to live to be cut down. She had made so many plans for the two of them. Once the war was over, they would have gone anywhere, done anything.

Pain shot unnoticed up his legs when he collapsed to his knees. It was but a blip to him in the wake of the pain in his soul. Tears fell onto the lightsabers as he cradled them to his chest. It was a foolish, absurd notion, but he thought, just for a moment, that if he held them tight enough the hard metal would dissolve into warm flesh. If he denied the truth long enough she would appear in his arms and he would take her far away from Coruscant, from the war, from anything that would seek to harm her.

But that wish was never granted. Only cold fact remained: Asajj was dead. The proof lay in his hands. And in the shattered remnants of his heart.

Obi-Wan didn't leave his room for the remainder of the day...and night. He curled around his lover's belongings and cried himself into a dreamless sleep.

The next morning he ventured out his door. He'd made a decision when he woke: he would see this war finished, but after that he would leave the Temple forever. If he stayed he would only be reminded of his failure to save those he loved so dearly. He would still be a Jedi, but he couldn't be the one he wanted to be if he stayed.

He'd made it to one of the briefing rooms when he felt that presence. Once it had brought him happiness and contentment. Now it brought him only pain. "How are you feeling, Master?"

Obi-Wan didn't look at Anakin. "I feel." And that was it. He did indeed feel. Hurt, heartbreak, confusion, grief.

Anakin 'hmph'd. "I thought you'd be pleased. After all, I did only save you from whatever spell the witch had put on you." Obi-Wan flinched. "No need to thank me for that, by the way."

Now Obi-Wan turned to him. "Thank you? Why would I thank you?"

Genuine confusion crossed the younger man's face. "Look, I know it's in your nature to always see the good in others, but there was none in Ventress. She'd done something to you to make you think so so you would keep letting her live. I did you and the Republic a favor."

"Is that what you think. Let me tell you what I think, Anakin. I think I've failed you in your training. I think Asajj was right: there is too much Darkness in you to be stamped out. I've never been one to lose hope in my friends, but it's safe to say that my hope in you was misplaced. And here's the last thing I think." He stepped forward until his face was very close to Anakin's. He wanted to make sure he didn't miss a single word. "I think I should have gone with Asajj when she begged me to. I could have spared us both this hellish fate."

Obi-Wan moved away and out of the room. He didn't know if he truly meant what he'd said. Maybe he'd just wanted to hurt Anakin in the slightest way he could. Maybe it was just wishful thinking to believe that she might still be alive if he'd left with her. After all, both their enemies were numerous and wouldn't hesitate to strike if they could. They may have left one war behind in favor of another.

But none of that mattered anymore. She was dead and he was not. Not physically, at least. He would continue his duty as a Jedi, but he would have nothing to do with Anakin Skywalker anymore. _I'm sorry, Qui-Gon. I've failed both Anakin and you. I cannot honor my promise. I'm so sorry._

From that day on, Obi-Wan never again spoke to Anakin. Anakin descended into madness at the loss of his friend and the threat of losing his not-so-secret wife. The Republic fell. And Obi-Wan Kenobi didn't care in the slightest.

* * *

**Yeah, a bit OOC, but that's just how this one turned out. After losing not one, not two, but technically FIVE people you love you'd be a bit tired of it all too. Even Obi-Wan has his limits (and apparently I enjoy hurting my babies, so...yeah). Anyway...**


	21. Lullaby

**After those last two chapters, I needed something fluffy and sweet. Hope you guys like it!**

* * *

Asajj had always been a light sleeper, but it wasn't the clap of thunder that woke her. It was a feeling more visceral, more internal. The Force trembled around and within her. Not frighteningly or threateningly, but enough to rouse her from her dreamless sleep. Once she was actually awake, she was able to pinpoint the source of her unease.

She carefully unwrapped Obi-Wan's arms from around her, much as she hated to leave his warmth, and swung her legs off the bed. The chill of the Tatooine night made her flesh prickle despite the barrier of her nightshirt. She looked back to make sure he was still asleep before standing and walking the few paces to the tiny bed across the room.

Thunder rolled outside the walls of their home, flashes of lightning preceding each clap. Electrical storms were a common occurrence this time of year. Asajj hated them; the sound of thunder had always meant the promise of rain to her. But not on this wasteland of a planet. Here the skies teased but never delivered the precious liquid. But that was neither here nor there at the moment. All of her attention was focused on the bundle curled up on the mattress against the wall.

"Nala," she whispered gently, carefully sitting down as one hand went to the blanket her daughter had thrown over her head. She tugged, but Nala's grip on the material was strong. "Sweetheart, come out from under there." The ball curled tighter into itself, making it that much harder to pull the blanket away. Asajj sighed. "I promise, the thunder can't hurt you. It's just noise. You're perfectly safe."

An even louder boom rattled the door to their small hut as if to spite her assertion. Asajj sent a mental insult to the sky before scooting closer to the terrified bundle. She thought for a moment, then settled on a new tactic.

The first words were shaky as she consciously tried to remember her native language, but once she got going the lullaby flowed from her lips like water. The song was told from a mother's point of view, of the fierce, undying love for her child that not even death could sever. It was one her own mother had sung to her so long ago before sending Asajj away into slavery. Asajj had always wondered how her own mother could sing that song to her and then give her away. But she harbored no ill will towards the woman who had birthed her; from what she remembered, Asajj knew her mother had fought to keep her, but it was Mother Talzin who had persuaded her to give her up to save the coven. It had to have been heartbreaking.

She shook the thoughts from her head and returned her attention to comforting her own daughter. Nalaya was what mattered now, not her own past. Her voice seemed to calm the girl; at least her shaking had stopped. Even the storm outside seemed to ease as the lullaby went on.

About halfway through Asajj was able to pry the blanket away from her daughter's strong grip. Bright blue eyes, still wide with fright, looked up at her beneath a shock of dark hair. Asajj offered a warm smile. She stroked the backs of her fingers against Nala's cheek as the final words of her song faded away into the silence. "Better?"

A flash of light and a low rumble shattered Nala's calm. Although farther away and nowhere near as loud as previous claps, it was enough to send Nala into her mother's arms and cling to her with a strength that belied her youth. Asajj closed her eyes as she silently cursed the Tatooine sky again, but she didn't push Nala away. Instead she ran her hands in slow circles on her back. Knowing neither of them would get back to sleep if she tried to make Nala stay in her own bed, Asajj gathered her child into her arms and carried her to the bed she and her husband shared.

Obi-Wan lay propped up on one arm, watching the two most important women in his life as they came towards him. Asajj blinked at seeing him awake, but didn't say anything. She simply laid Nala on the mattress and climbed on after her. "What's wrong, little one?" Obi-Wan whispered. "Did the storm frighten you?" Nala released her mother and rolled into her father's chest, burying her face in his loose shirt. He chuckled warmly before holding her close; his hands seemed to dwarf her tiny body, but there was utmost gentility in his touch. "It's okay to be afraid, dearest one. But you shouldn't let your fear control you. Fear can only hurt you if you let it."

Asajj rolled her eyes as she settled in behind her daughter. "Must you do that now? Can't you wait a few years before indoctrinating her with your Jedi rhetoric?" Her slender fingers pulled Nala's face from her father's shirt and turned her onto her back. Asajj smiled down at her, her irritation at Obi-Wan momentarily forgotten. "So long as you have us, nothing can ever hurt you, Nalaya. I promise." A kiss on the child's forehead sealed that promise. "Go back to sleep."

Obi-Wan shook his head good-naturedly then pulled them both into his arms. One of Asajj's draped across Nala to rest on his waist. Although she was still afraid of the storm should it return, little Nala did indeed feel safe in her parents' embrace. The warmth and love between them was as effective as the lullaby her mother had sung for her.

Now that the storm had passed and her parents enveloped her with their love, Nala let out a short yawn and promptly fell back to sleep.


End file.
